Exam Room Nutrition: Practical Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals

Latest Episodes:

172 | Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Diet Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Tick Bites, GI Symptoms, and Hidden Triggers

A patient comes in with recurrent diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained hives. Could a tick bite be responsible?

Alpha-gal syndrome is an unusual food allergy that can develop after a tick bite, causing delayed reactions to mammalian meat and sometimes other animal-derived products. But recognizing it isn't always straightforward, especially when patients have GI symptoms without the typical signs of an allergic reaction.

In this episode, I'm joined by Jerry Simons, PA-C, a nationally recognized medical educator with more than 25 years of experience treating complex GI disorders and tick-borne diseases. Jerry walks us through the diagnostic clues clinicians should know, how he approaches testing and dietary management, and why unnecessarily restricting foods can sometimes do more harm than good.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why alpha-gal reactions can occur hours after eating
How to interpret alpha-gal IgE testing alongside the patient's clinical history
A stepwise approach to dietary management
Hidden sources of mammalian ingredients in supplements, medications, and foods that clinicians should know about

Resources Mentioned

Alpha Gal Resources PDF

Connect with Jerry

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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.

171 | Food Rules We Carry Into Adulthood Oct 07, 2026

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Picky Eating, Food Pressure & Body Trust

“Just take one more bite.” “Finish your vegetables, then you can have dessert.” “That’s junk food.”

These comments may seem harmless, but the messages kids hear around food can shape how they eat and think about their bodies years later.

In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitian Kerry Miller to talk about how parents and clinicians can help kids build body trust and a healthier relationship with food.

Key takeaways:

Why pressure to eat can actually increase picky eating
How to balance mealtime structure with hunger and fullness cues
Why using dessert as a reward can backfire
How childhood food and body messages can follow us into adulthood
One simple question clinicians can ask families during a busy well visit

Resources Mentioned:

Website: www.violetlearns.com
Companion resources for professionals: https://professionals.violetlearns.com/
Instagram: @kerry.millerrd

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170 | What Does “Healthy” Actually Mean? Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Help Patients Define They're WHY

What does your patient actually mean when they say, “I just want to be healthy?” Because “healthy” can mean something completely different to the clinician, the patient, and the parent sitting next to them. In this episode, I’m talking with registered dietitian Allison McKeany about why defining health may be one of the most important steps in nutrition counseling.

Key takeaways:

Why clinicians should define what “healthy” means before giving nutrition advice
How to uncover a patient’s deeper “why” and use it to support behavior change
Allison’s four areas of health: physical, functional, cognitive, and emotional
Strategies for navigating different health goals between parents and children

Resources Mentioned:

What Does it Mean to Be Healthy, Anyway?

Connect with Allison

Listen to this episode next - Helping patients change

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169 | An Obesity Doctor on GLP-1s, Cortisol & Peptides Sep 23, 2026

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Hunger, Habits and Sustainable Weight Care

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Rees Checketts, an internal medicine physician specializing in metabolic and obesity medicine, to talk about what nutrition education in medical training gets right, and where it still falls short. We also dig into the conversations clinicians are having every day about weight, hunger, GLP-1 medications, cortisol, processed foods, and the latest wellness trends.

You’ll learn:

How genetics, environment, hunger and fullness cues can influence weight
Why Dr. Checketts uses a “thoughtful indulgence” approach with patients
How he decides when weight loss medications and GLP-1s may, or may not, make sense
What clinicians and patients should understand about compounded GLP-1 medications
Whether cortisol and “hormone imbalance” are really driving weight gain
Why he’s cautious about the growing popularity of peptides

Resources mentioned:

Peas and Hoppy Meal Guide - use EXAMROOM for 20% off.

GLP Guide by Dr Rees

Other related episodes:

160: Inside an Obesity Clinic: GLP-1 Dosing, Plateaus, and Prior Auths

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From First Foods to Family Meals Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®. Today, we're exploring practical family nutrition strategies from first foods to family meals. Helping families eat well isn't about creating the perfect meal, it's about finding realistic strategies that work through every stage of childhood. In this final episode of our mini-series, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, and I discuss common nutrition gaps, first foods, picky eating, and practical approaches to building family meals that support healthy eating without becoming short-order cooks, including simple ways versatile foods like avocados can fit across ages and stages.

We Cover

Nutrients children and families commonly fall short on
What we know about maternal nutrition and infant outcomes
Characteristics of a nutritious first food
Practical strategies for navigating picky eating
How to build family meals that work for every age and stage

Resources Mentioned:

Healthy Beginnings (Toolkit)

The Role of Lutein in Child Development: From Prenatal to Early Childhood

Avocado Consumption During Pregnancy Linked to Lower Child Food Allergy Risk: Prospective KuBiCo Study

How to Freeze Avocados for Smoothies

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About Today's Sponsor

Avocados – Love One Today® is a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. Backed by science, Love One Today provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for health professionals to stay on top of the latest research and confidently recommend fresh avocados to patients. Embracing the diversity of Latin flavors and traditions while promoting a healthier lifestyle, Aguacates - Love One Today® also offers culturally inspired recipes, tips, and educational handouts para Latinos. Visit LoveOneToday.com for free evidence-based resources, recipes and patient education materials.

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The Bigger Picture of Blood Sugar Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®. Today, we're asking whether we're focusing on the right things when it comes to diabetes nutrition.

When someone is diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, nutrition conversations often become all about sugar and carbohydrates. But are we missing the bigger picture? In this episode, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss glycemic load, diet quality, and why overall eating patterns deserve just as much attention as individual nutrients when supporting healthy blood sugar management and type 2 diabetes risk reduction.

What You’ll Learn

How to shift the conversation from restriction toward overall diet quality
The difference between glycemic index and glycemic load
Nutrients to consider beyond total carbohydrates, such as unsaturated fats and fiber
Research exploring avocados, diet quality, blood sugar management, and diabetes risk
Practical ways patients can incorporate avocados into balanced meals

Resources Mentioned:

The Role of Avocados in Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Know the Difference: Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars (Handout)

The Effect of Including One Avocado Daily in a Habitual Diet on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load in Free-living Adults with Overweight/Obesity

Associations Between Avocado Intake and Measures of Glucose and Insulin Homeostasis in Hispanic Individuals With and Without Type 2 Diabetes

Associations Between Avocado Intake and Lower Rates of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Adults with Hispanic/Latino Ancestry

Avocado Banana Dairy-Free Ice Cream (Recipe)

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About Today's Sponsor

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Rethinking Cholesterol Counseling Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

This episode is part of our four-part Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados – Love One Today®. Today, we're tackling one of the most common nutrition conversations in practice: cholesterol. Nutrition counseling often focuses on what patients should stop eating, but what should we encourage them to eat more of? Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss the types of food substitutions that can impact cholesterol, how current heart health guidelines support a food-first approach, and what the latest research tells us about improving cholesterol through practical, sustainable nutrition changes such as swapping foods with saturated fat for avocado

We Cover

Why restriction alone often isn't enough for cholesterol counseling
The science behind swapping saturated fat with unsaturated fats
The types of food swaps that may improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Nutrients that support cholesterol management and overall heart health, including fiber and unsaturated fats
Creative ways patients can incorporate avocados to get more unsaturated fats and fiber beyond avocado toast

Resources Mentioned:

Avocados and Cholesterol

Reduce Saturated Fat Intake With Fresh Avocados

Avocados and Plant Sterols

Avocados, Cholesterol and You (Handout)

Effects of Replacing Solid Fats and Added Sugars with Avocado in Adults with Elevated Cardiometabolic Risk: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Feeding, Crossover Trial

Don't miss the rest of the series:

Episode 1: Why Feeling Full Matters for Weight Loss

About Today's Sponsor

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Why Feeling Full Matters for Weight Loss Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Many patients believe that feeling hungry is simply part of losing weight, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of our Avocados in Practice mini-series, sponsored by Avocados - Love One Today®, Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, joins me to discuss why satiety matters, what the research says about fullness and foods and nutrients that influence it, and how clinicians can help patients build meals that are both satisfying and nutrient-dense. We also explore common misconceptions about higher-fat foods, practical nutrition strategies for patients taking GLP-1 medications, and simple ways to incorporate avocados into everyday meals to support fullness and satisfaction.

What You’ll Learn

Why hunger is one of the biggest barriers to sustainable weight loss
The role of satiety and meal satisfaction in weight management
What research tells us about avocados, weight, and body composition
Why fiber and unsaturated fats matter alongside protein, especially for patients eating less overall
Practical ways to incorporate avocados for satisfying meals and snacks

Resources Mentioned

Avocados, GLP-1 and Weight Loss Medications: Making Every Bite Count

Avocados and Satiety: A Deep Dive Into Fullness and Weight Management

Effect of Incorporating 1 Avocado Per Day Versus Habitual Diet on Visceral Adiposity: A Randomized Trial

Using the Avocado to Test the Satiety Effects of a Fat-Fiber Combination in Place of Carbohydrate Energy in a Breakfast Meal in Overweight and Obese Men and Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

About Today's Sponsor

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168 | Can You Starve Cancer? What the Evidence Says Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Apricot Kernels, Amino Acid Diet & Fasting in Cancer Care.

In this episode, I’m joined by oncology dietitian Ginger Hultin to break down some of the biggest cancer nutrition myths circulating online and explain what clinicians should actually be telling patients.

We discuss:

Whether sugar really “feeds” cancer and what the Warburg effect actually means
The truth about soy, phytoestrogens, and hormone-sensitive cancers
Processed meat, red meat, and which foods are actually linked to cancer risk
Aspartame, artificial sweeteners, and what “possibly carcinogenic” really means
Alcohol and cancer risk—and why there seems to be some discrepancy
Whether fasting during chemotherapy improves treatment outcomes
Emerging research on restricting amino acids to slow cancer growth
Apricot kernels and the serious risks behind viral “natural cancer cure” claims
Supplements during cancer treatment, including potential interactions, over-supplementation, and when supplements may actually be helpful
How clinicians can address cancer nutrition misinformation without dismissing or shaming patients

Nutrition absolutely matters in cancer care. But restrictive “anti-cancer diets” and viral food cures can distract patients from what may help most: adequate protein, maintaining nutrition status, eating more fiber-rich plant foods, managing treatment side effects, and getting individualized support.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 57: Cancer Survivorship and Nutrition

Episode 75: Are Your Patients Taking Too Many Supplements?

Connect with Ginger

The Good Clean Nutrition Podcast

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167 | Type 1 Diabetes Update: Screening, Staging and Tech Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

CGMs, Carb Counting and GLP-1s in Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes care has changed a lot. From earlier screening and diabetes staging to diabetes technology, clinicians have more tools than ever, but also more to keep up with.

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Hormachea, RDN, CDCES, to break down what clinicians need to know about modern type 1 diabetes management.

Key takeaways:

Who should be screened for type 1 diabetes and what autoantibodies to look for
The difference between stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 type 1 diabetes
Why diabetes technology is changing how we teach carbohydrate counting
How to interpret CGM data without making patients fear every glucose spike
Where low- and non-nutritive sweeteners fit into diabetes care
Why weight management is different for patients with type 1 diabetes
What clinicians should know about GLP-1 medications in type 1 diabetes

If it’s been a while since you reviewed type 1 diabetes, this episode will get you caught up on what’s changing and what matters most in clinical practice.

Peas and Hoppy Meal Guide - use EXAMROOM for 20% off.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Sarah

ADA Guide to Nutrition Therapy for Diabetes 4th Edition

Type 1 Diabetes and Pregnancy

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