Ep. 20 — What Sugar Actually Does to Your Brain (Part 1)

Ep. 24 — The Cholesterol Question Your Doctor Can't Answer (Part 2)

Which raises your cholesterol more — an Oreo or an egg? The answer isn't what most people are told. In Part 2 of our Bloodwork Literacy series, we walk through the numbers on your lipid panel — total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, non-HDL — and what each one actually measures. We explain why your liver makes cholesterol, why "good" and "bad" is a moral category laid over carriers doing different jobs, and the one number on the panel that most people never calculate: the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. We touch on context that shifts how a single result reads — fasting state, illness, medications, life stage — and on ApoB and particle count for those who want to go deeper. This is Part 2 of 6. In Part 3, we move to the thyroid panel. No fear. No pressure. Just enough literacy to read your own results. ⭐ Free Companion Guide We've put together a companion guide that walks through how to read your own panel — the five carriers, the ratio the panel doesn't print, and how to read your trend over time. https://togetherunprocessed.com/reading-your-lipid-panel/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=bloodwork-pt2 🎵 Music "Marathon Man" by Jason Shaw (Audionautix.com) — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer Everything we share comes from our own journeys and experiences. We're not doctors, and nothing here is meant as medical advice. Always make decisions about your health with a trusted professional.

Ep. 23 — Why "Normal" Bloodwork Doesn't Mean You're Healthy

Your bloodwork said "normal." That doesn't mean what you think it means. Only 12% of American adults are actually metabolically healthy — and the test that would catch the other 88% isn't on the standard panel. In this episode, we walk through three blood markers most doctors don't explain — A1C, fasting insulin, and fasting glucose — and how to combine them with HOMA-IR to read your metabolism clearly. Hugo explains why fasting insulin is the single most useful test you can run, and why a "normal" A1C is an estimate that can mask years of pancreatic strain. Ash shares what catching insulin resistance early looked like in her family — including pushing for a fasting insulin test for her teenage daughter. Kim shows what to do when your standard panel comes back fine but something still feels off. This is Part 1 of our Bloodwork Literacy series. Next: LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and non-HDL. No diagnosis. No fear. Just the markers that actually matter. ⭐ Free Companion Guide The full marker map: https://togetherunprocessed.com/blood-markers-your-doctor-isnt-explaining/ 🎵 Music "Marathon Man" by Jason Shaw (Audionautix.com) — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer Everything we share comes from our own journeys and experiences. We're not doctors, and nothing here is meant as medical advice. Always make decisions about your health with a trusted professional.

Ep. 22 — The Carbs You Thought Were Healthy

You're not eating sugar. You're eating something else. Here's what it actually does to your body. In this episode, we walk through seven categories of carbs — from white flour and liquid sugars to fruit, starchy vegetables, grains, leafy greens, and animal foods — and what each one actually does to your blood sugar, your insulin, and the visceral fat around your organs. Cindy explains how insulin resistance develops and why what you drink often matters more than what you eat. Ash shares the daily reality of living with diabetes in the family. Kim breaks down how to read a food label that's been deliberately confusing for decades. No fear. No pressure. Just enough awareness to make a different choice next time. 📖 Free Companion Guide The full carb map: https://togetherunprocessed.com/carbs-that-turn-into-sugar/ 🎵 Music "Marathon Man" by Jason Shaw (Audionautix.com) — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer Everything we share comes from our own journeys and experiences. We're not doctors, and nothing here is meant as medical advice. Always make decisions about your health with a trusted professional.

Ep. 21 — How to Break Sugar Addiction (Part 2)

In Part 1, we showed you what sugar does to your brain. Now here's how to break the cycle 🔥 We walk through why willpower fails against a biochemical loop, what withdrawal actually feels like day by day, and how to take back control. We cover hidden sugars on labels, stabilising blood sugar with fat and protein, mineral cravings disguised as sugar cravings, and why we recommend abstinence over moderation. The episode closes with our 7-day sugar-free challenge — download the PDF below. ⭐ Download the 7-Day Sugar-Free Challenge https://togetherunprocessed.com/sugar-challenge/ 🎵 Music "Marathon Man" by Jason Shaw (Audionautix.com) — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer Everything we share comes from our own journeys and experiences. We're not doctors, and nothing here is meant as medical advice. Always make decisions about your health with a trusted professional.

Ep. 20 — What Sugar Actually Does to Your Brain (Part 1)

Sugar activates the same reward pathways as cocaine 🧠 In this episode, we break down the science of sugar addiction — how it hijacks your dopamine system, the study where rats chose sweetness over cocaine almost every time, and why the food industry engineers products to keep you eating. We also explore the difference between sweet taste and sugar itself, gut-driven cravings, and the relentless addiction loop that keeps people trapped. This is Part 1 of 2. In Part 2, we show you exactly how to break the cycle. 📄 Sources & References Lenoir et al. (2007) — Intense sweetness surpasses cocaine reward. PLoS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0000698 Hoebel et al. (2009) — Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit. Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23719144/ 🧠 About the Evidence Our conversations reference experimental and observational research from the natural sciences — including stable-isotope data, comparative physiology, and metabolic studies — to explore what the evidence shows about human nutrition, resilience, and healing. These discussions are educational and interpretive, not prescriptive medical advice. 🎵 Music "Marathon Man" by Jason Shaw (Audionautix.com) — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer Everything we share comes from our own journeys and experiences. We're not doctors, and nothing here is meant as medical advice. Always make decisions about your health with a trusted professional.