In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Fiona Lovely welcomes Wade Lightheart, a certified sports nutritionist and co-founder of BiOptimizers, for a deep dive into a topic that rarely gets the attention it deserves: digestion. Wade brings a remarkable personal story—after losing his sister to Hodgkin's disease and later experiencing a mysterious 42-pound weight gain in just 11 weeks, he discovered he had learned to build his body from the outside in, not the inside out.
He explains that humans are the only species that cooks their food, destroying the enzymes naturally present in what we eat, which places enormous strain on the body's own enzyme production. For women in midlife, this matters enormously: when protein cannot be broken down into amino acids, the consequences ripple outward into muscle loss, stubborn weight gain, mood disruption, and fatigue. Wade walks through the five stages of digestion, offers a simple at-home baking soda test to check stomach acid, and explains why protein timing and digestive support are essential for women navigating menopause.
This episode is a masterclass in why digestion is the foundation of hormonal health, metabolism, and vitality.
Episode Highlights:
Why cooking food depletes enzymes and burdens the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder
The five stages of digestion and where things typically go wrong
A simple baking soda test to determine if you need more stomach acid
Why "it's not what you consume, it's what you digest, absorb, and utilize"
The critical link between gut health, serotonin production, and carbohydrate cravings
Why women should prioritize protein early in the day, not just at dinner
If you've been eating all the right things but still feeling depleted, this conversation will change how you think about every meal.
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Dr. Fiona Lovely is a longevity, health and wellness expert with specialties in menopause medicine, functional neurology and functional medicine. She is speaking to the topics of women's health around perimenopause and menopause.
How to work with Dr. Lovely:
We get many requests for this info, so here it is! First off, thank you for listening to the NYMM podcast. It's because of your support, we can continue to dispense this information.❤️
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