What Are Some Simple Steps I Can Take to Start My Journey to Better Nutrition and Mental Health?

Hey, it's J.J. here.

You know, I've been talking about environmental toxins forever, and laundry detergent is a sneaky one. A lot of them contain harsh chemicals like dyes, preservatives, and even UV brighteners.

Those brighteners don't actually clean anything.

They just coat fabric so your eyes think things look whiter or brighter. That's more chemicals I don't want on my family's sheets or skin. And if you've got sensitive skin or allergies around the house, this can be a big problem. That's what got my attention about Earth Breeze.

It looks like a dryer sheet, but.

It'S actually laundry detergent. You toss one in the washer and that's it. No pouring, no mess, and no heavy plastic jug. Their packaging is lightweight cardboard, which helps reduce plastic waste. And if you choose the fragrance free option, it's gentle, hypoallergenic, non irritating, and non sensitizing. I really like how simple it is and how fresh and clean everything comes out without those unnecessary chemicals. Right now you can try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com virgin that's earthbreeze.com virgin for up to 40% off plus free gifts on your first order.

Hey, JJ here. Can you believe how fast the holidays are knocking at the door this year? One minute it's pumpkin spice season, the next you're getting your guest room ready and wondering where their wrapping paper went. And that's when I turned to Wayfair. From bedding and towels to holiday decor and last minute stocking stuffers, Wayfair has everything you need to get your home and holidays together fast. And for way less. With Wayfair, I know I can refresh my guest room in no time. Maybe I'll add a soft new comforter or a few holiday throw pillows. With Wayfair, it's so easy and everything arrives super fast. Plus, there's free shipping for any order over $35 easy and total peace of mind. So whether you're hosting, gifting, or just adding those final festive touches, Wayfair has your back. And when the holidays wind down, Wayfair has everything you need to tuck it all neatly away. Smart storage solutions for every room from the kitchen to the closet. Get organized, refreshed and ready for the holidays. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair. Every style, every home that's W a y F A I R.com the holidays.

Are all about family. But at the Chrysler Wrap up the Year sales event, it's all about you. Enjoy every mile in the most awarded minivan in America, the Castle Chrysler Pacifica with the most standard safety features in its class, available Stow n Go seating, and the available Stow and VAC built in vacuum. Make the most of the holidays with a great deal at the Chrysler Pacifica Wrap up the Year sales event based on Ward's small van segment. Based upon the latest available competitor information, Chrysler is a registered trademark of FCA US llc.

What are some simple steps I can take to start my journey to better nutrition and mental health? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times best selling author, celebrity nutrition expert and Fitness hall of famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Tonya K. From In Goop Health asks what are some simple steps I can take to start my journey to be better nutrition and mental health? Hey, it's JJ and I've got the perfect person to answer this question. I've got nutritional psychiatry pioneer Dr. Uma Naidu with me. So Michelin starred chef David Boulace describes Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world's first triple threat in the Food is Medicine space. She's a Harvard trained psychiatrist, professional chef, graduating with her culinary school's most coveted award and and a nutrition specialist. And fun fact, as a child she was fascinated by space travel and wanted to be an astronaut. She'll be right back to answer this question.

Stay with me. Hey jj, Virgin here.

Okay, real talk.

So often the holidays sneak up on me.

Travel, gifts, hosting, you know, all the things the and suddenly it's like, wait.

Who spent what and where?

And I know I'm not the only one who's looked at a bill in January and thought, wow, that escalated quickly. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. It's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface. On your laptop or on your phone. Monarch lets you link everything and gives you real time visibility so you're not shocked later. Right now, I've been checking the holiday spending category so I don't accidentally start the new year with that dreaded debt hangover. And honestly, just seeing everything laid out is already helping me stay more aware. This season Monarch does the heavy lifting. It links your accounts in minutes, gives you smart categorization and super clear visuals. Yes, that end of year reset could be a real goal. This time. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virginonarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with the code Virgin.

Ray Ban Meta Glasses come with open ear audio so you can listen to your favorite music without blocking out the world around you.

Hey Meta, Play Gorgeous. Here's Gorgeous by Doja Cat.

You can also ask Meta AI questions.

Hey Meta, when's Doja Cat's next concert? Doja Cat is playing at the Los Angeles Theater next Tuesday.

Sweet Ray Ban Meta Glasses available at Ray Ban stores and other authorized retailers.

When patients come into my office and ask about how they can start a journey to better nutrition and mental health, I usually try to understand where they're at in their individual journey. Because I've come to understand over time that everyone's journey is slightly different and someone you know who may appear to be physically healthy may not necessarily be feeling mentally fit. And it's therefore important to understand what someone feels could be their very first step, that they could make a difference. I feel that the very first thing that people need to know, jj, is that we've understood for years that what we eat affects our physical health. We've been told by our doctors for years that, you know, we need to understand how to eat for hypertension, for high cholesterol, for diabetes, for obesity. And we, we, we seem to understand these foods a little bit better. But what I need for people to know is that better nutrition also means better mental health. Cutting back on processed and ultra processed foods, sugary beverages, the added sugars in food, especially savory foods, and opting for more whole grain options together with fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight, but it will also help you feel emotionally better. It's as simple as that. So start simple and make small changes in your habits in terms of eating that you will be able to sustain over time. I mean, have you ever tried out a diet where you made some extreme changes for a certain period of time and you white knuckled it through the first few weeks? But what ends up happening to many people, including those who have undergone large weight loss goals, there tends to be a bounce back, almost a boomerang effect because when people tend to restrict and acutely restrict and suddenly restrict certain foods in their body, the body just naturally starts to crave these. So I really work with individuals on starting simple with simple sustainable goals. And what do I mean by, by that? If you're eating too much of a certain unhealthy food? Which reminds me of, you know, a patient of mine who loved potato chips that was just despite a super healthy diet, the rest of the time she always had a habit of keeping potato chips in her car at her desk at work. And even though these were small bags of potato chips, not the family size, it was an unhealthy habit that was not helping her in any way. She decided that when we identified this to be a problem, that the best way to handle this would be instead of eating those empty calories, that we'd make a better plan. So she followed one of my recipes for Tasty Oven Roasted Crispy kale chips. Instead of keeping these in her car, she would make sure that she had some ready on hand to put in the oven the moment she got home. So that she knew in about 10 minutes she'd have a really tasty snack while she was preparing the rest of dinner. And something that appealed to her because she liked that crunchy, slightly salty taste. And she could get this in a much healthier way than a processed or ultra processed store bought snack. She then also learned, she expanded her repertoire by learning to use an air fryer oven to, to cook other healthier versions of foods that also brought back in that crunchiness that she liked about food. So she learned to make zucchini fries which had no oil. And as she grew to really appreciate these foods, she understood that there wasn't any reason for her to keep potato chips at every corner, either at a desk, at work or in her car. And really started to embrace healthy habits that she and especially when she found the food tasty. If you start to pay attention to eating healthy, you will start to feel emotionally better over time. This is what all of my patients say to me. And the wonderful thing is that they ultimately do end up losing weight, even though that may not be the first goal that they start with. You may also heard the term eat the rainbow. And what do we mean by that? Well, it's the phytonutrients in these brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Broccoli, carrots, beets, peppers, berries that bring back these healthy nutrients to our brain. But the other advantage is they also contain fiber, which, as I mentioned, helps our gut. And the gut brain connection with fiber is with eating. Sufficient forms of healthy fiber are really super important to balancing out the biodiversity in our gut and thereby helping our mood. The other factor that I like people to really pay attention to is the added sugars in food, both savory and sweet. So salad dressings, things like ketchup, many things that we don't assume have sugar in them have added sugars that we should be paying attention to. And these are a few very basic, very simple, very easy ground rules that people can start with when they're trying to embrace a healthier lifestyle and starting to take some easy steps that will start off their goals toward feeling better.

This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetoj.com.

Hello listeners, this is Anne Bogle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I tag all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years, and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change, or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything. You'll learn something about yourself as a reader, and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and Visit our website whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com to find out more.