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Welcome to Her Health Code, the podcast that helps women in midlife feel better in their bodies without the confusion or overwhelm. We’re two health coaches sharing real talk, personal stories, and our best coaching tips that help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom. Think of us as your health-savvy girlfriends, here to help you crack the code to feeling vibrant and strong again.
Jessica Franklin (00:00)
Welcome to Her Health Code. We're your host, Jess and Michelle. Here, we're all about helping women in midlife decode what their bodies are telling them through real talk and sharing our practical tips and simple tools that put you back in control so you can feel stronger, healthier, and more vibrant every day.
Jess & Michele (00:15)
Welcome to Her Health Code. I'm Jess. And I'm Michele. Today is part two to our changing your Your taste buds from sweet and craving sweets.
to bitter. To bitter. Yeah. Or just not so sweet. Right. Yeah. Lessening those cravings and actually enjoying your greens and vegetables a little bit more. So that's the whole episode. It's short and sweet. Excuse the pun. Exactly. But it really is. And it's easier than you think. Right now we're going to give you some of our favorite sweet but not so sweet.
and healthier ideas that will help you make that transition a little less challenging. Michele, what do you do when you have that sweet craving but you know that you shouldn't be reaching for the cookies? Well, I will say that I do live by the 80-20 rule. So sometimes I do just eat whatever I want, whether it's sweet or not. But when I'm trying to be mindful, to be
the best for my body and to be, you know, to treat my body well. The sweets that I normally go to are my chocolate bark, which I have another episode and we'll link that below. Yeah, episode one. ⁓ I also make these protein bars, which we will go ahead and.
that down in the show notes for you so you can try it out. That's super easy. She taught me how to do this. So good. I've been doing it for my son and my husband but also I'm enjoying them too. Yes they're delicious and it really makes you feel like you're having a treat. I mean it does feel like almost like a candy bar feeling because it does have the chocolate and the peanut butter. It's just so good. And it's a good mouthfeel too. It's a mouthfeel. have some oats in there and some protein powder.
kicking up that protein and making it a little bit more of part of your daily, almost like your nutrition. Your snack can add to your protein and the good fats in it help balance out that little bit of sugar on top so that your blood sugar is not gonna spike. Absolutely. I also give this to my son when he gets home from school and they're just ravenous, sometimes just having a piece of that.
protein bar will kind of satiate them for a little bit. Hold them over till Hold them over till dinner as opposed to grabbing for something that is not gonna serve him well and definitely not gonna fill him up. The other things that I like to have are chia pudding, because chia puddings are a great source of omega-3s and they have some great fats in there as well, depending on how you make it. What's your favorite? Do you like chocolate?
⁓ I do like chocolate. actually I'm pretty simple when it comes to chia pudding. I just like I make mine with coconut milk because I like a heartier chia pudding and then the chia seeds and then a little bit of vanilla, a little sweetener of choice. Usually it's either raw honey or maple syrup and then I just let it set like that and then I'll top it sometimes with some nuts or some coconut but pretty simple. Pretty simple. That's a good one and then my simple go-to is always I
always have dark chocolate in my house, always. So whether I have a square of dark chocolate or I'll have some dark chocolate with a nut butter like tahini or peanut butter or something, but dark chocolate I feel for women is medicinal. so it is necessary. I love having chocolate. And so that's pretty much my go-to's that I use for my sweet cravings. Yeah. And I think that dark chocolate too, it kind of can go on that. It's an 80-20, but it's also, feel like...
There are some good things about it. cacao powder as well. actually does help stabilize blood sugar. And so the higher the better. I think there's one at Trader Joe's at 65 or 70%. Yeah. That's the one that I go with because I really do like that more bitter flavor of chocolate. And when you add the peanut butter on it, it kind of cuts that bitterness. And
If I have cravings at night, it's mostly because I think that my body is saying, you haven't eaten enough today. Maybe I've slacked a little bit on protein or skipped my breakfast because I was doing intermittent fasting. And so maybe I didn't get quite enough.
into those two meals throughout the day. Before I closed my window, I like to do an eight to 10 hour window and sometimes just two meals. ⁓ Every now and then I'll throw a snack in between, but some days I just really stick with those two meals. And so at night I'm like, okay, I'm gonna close my window maybe an hour later because I'm feeling this hunger and I'm gonna have a cup of milk, whole milk, grass-fed milk with the good fats and protein and it's gonna help.
you know, so that my blood sugar is not going to spike and I do it right after dinner. So if I feel this craving after dinner, it's because I just know I need something, myself a little something. And so I do it right after dinner.
So you could have that piece of dark chocolate with peanut butter, or you could do maybe the protein bar with it. Or I do protein bombs, which are just a little bit more effort maybe than the protein bar because you make them into little balls. It doesn't take that long. And it's basically the same. You just throw in all your ingredients into a bowl, mix it up, and then just pat it together into little balls, which
My son really likes because then he can eat one or two or he can just kind of keep grabbing another one. And same with my husband. So they become snacks They become sometimes for me breakfast with my coffee so that I can have a little something sweet with my coffee without spiking my blood sugar because you've got the protein in there and the good fats.
I will add that recipe into the summary or the description wherever you're listening so that you can make those as well. And Michele will share her protein bar recipe. You were telling me about honey. I will do just a little bit of Manuka honey.
At the end of a meal, I know I've had enough to eat and enough protein, but I still have that maybe a little bit of hankering for something sweet. I'll just grab a little spoon of honey. And it just really satisfies that craving. every now
especially during cold and flu season, I like to add a little bit of raw chopped up garlic into mine. Now that is all you Jess, because I could not do that one. It really does hit the spot. ⁓ I think it's maybe because the taste buds have grown a little bit more accustomed to savory, bitter flavors it's gonna kick you a little bit, but if you add it in with the honey, it just goes right down. Okay. So
That's my wellness tip. Yeah, I think I might try that one. I don't know if I can put it down, but I will definitely give it a try. One other thing I thought of that this is not like a sweet treat, but this definitely if I'm still hunkering for something at night and I'm trying not to snack at nighttime because it helps me sleep better because again, sleep problems are a big thing in menopause. So I truly try to not eat for a couple hours before I go to bed at night so I can have better sleep.
What helps me if it's that time of night and I need, I want something, a glass of milk with some cinnamon in it. Because the cinnamon actually helps your blood sugar stabilize and the warm milk is actually very comforting. And so it kind of gives me that comforting feeling but also balancing my blood sugar with the cinnamon is something that I've been trying here and there and it does help. I mean, it's not something to chew on but it definitely helps.
But if you're finding yourself in that place, it's probably again, because you haven't maybe had that protein that your body is needing. We need a little bit more protein in this time of life than maybe we were able to get by on before. And that is a thing. And we will actually be having an episode all about protein. I would actually also say that maybe even adding in a little bit of cocoa powder, I'm going to try that next time. I want to have something because
My body's telling me I need a little bit more. That sounds really good and warm. Like we're going to have some rainy weather this week. So I'll give that a try. Put a little cacao powder and cinnamon and some milk. Yeah, it's like a cinnamon hot chocolate. Yeah, except for you don't have to add anything sweet You don't have to add anything sweet to it.
So hopefully some of our treats that we have shared today are sounding enjoyable to you and you give them a try. until next time, be well and thank you for joining.
Jessica Franklin (08:45)
Thanks for being part of her Health Code community. Your voice matters here. Take a minute to subscribe so you can continue decoding your health with us. And if you found this helpful, please do share with a friend and leave us a quick review on Apple or any platform that you listen in on. It supports us in sharing this information with more women like you. And if you're wanting a little bit more one-on-one guidance, I would love the chance to support you more deeply, whether you're looking for clarity, accountability, or just a health plan that actually fits your life.
I'm here to help. Just come visit me at lovingyourwellness.com. I can't wait to connect with you. if you're a woman in midlife wanting to rebuild your health through a holistic lens, whether you're navigating fatigue, overwhelmed, detox needs, or the desire to feel more aligned, I love to work with you. You can find my email at livelightly.eco or check out The Live Lightly Podcast for more wellness inspiration. Now, before we say goodbye, just a quick disclaimer.
The information shared on this podcast is only for educational purposes and not for medical advice. We are not medical doctors and this content is not a substitute for professional medical care. Definitely not. We encourage you to consult your health care provider before making any changes to your diet, lifestyle or wellness routine, especially if you have a medical condition or taking any medication. By listening, you are acknowledged that you are responsible for your own health choices and we are honored to be part of your wellness journey. Thank you again for joining us.