Curious about what it might look like to work with a health coach? Wondering what it takes to see progress on your health journey? Is there more to nutrition than eating the "right" foods, and how do you know if your choices are paying off? In this episode of Salad with a Side of Fries, Jenn dives into some signs and benchmarks of nutritional progress, including whether blood work can be a tangible indicator of health improvements. Jenn, in conversation with two of her past clients, looks at the journey many of us face with diet and exercise, highlighting that your experience and journey to lasting results IS possible. She discusses what it’s like to commit to fitness and nutrition changes, exploring topics like the role of family influence, breaking through initial doubts, the impact of genuinely caring about what you eat, and the role of a health coach. You’ll see how small changes can make a big difference, from reducing inflammation to recognizing how food affects energy and well-being. Tune in to hear her insights and those from people just like you on working with a health coach, how to keep your favorite meals on the menu and improve your health too!The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. IN THIS EPISODE: [1:47] We hear about one of Jenn’s client’s on-and-off exercise and eating journey[5:27] Why some people may experience skepticism that eating could affect the way we feel[10:01] The liquid diet and the not-so-long-lasting results[15:04] What to look out for when considering a health coach[25:35] Making the changes in what you choose to eat and fitness goals[31:03] Caring about your fitness and nutrition is life-changing[37:31] Is it genetics, or how we’ve been taught to eat in our family and reading labels[40:02] Being healthy for your family is a great reason to be aware of your nutrition[42:32] Nutrition Nugget will be all about Panera, don’t miss it on FridayKEY TAKEAWAYS: Making dietary changes, like adopting a gluten-free, anti-inflammatory diet, may significantly reduce inflammation and related symptoms. Eliminating gluten, sugar, fried foods and reducing sodium helped Cayla experience noticeable health improvements. This experience, backed by blood work showing reduced inflammation, underscores the potential impact of dietary adjustments on overall wellnessPeople often explore health coaching out of a willingness to try something new for their wellness journey, even if they're unsure of the exact outcome. As long as there's potential for learning or improvement, this openness to experiment can make health coaching valuable. For many, gaining even small insights or benefits can be worth investing time and moneyMany Americans need to be made aware of nutrition's profound impact on their overall health, immunity, and quality of life. Only after making informed nutritional decisions and observing improvements—such as fewer illnesses or increased energy—can people realize how essential quality nutrition is. This knowledge gap often stems from educational, food, and medical systems that do not emphasize the importance of proper nutrition. Knowledge becomes a transformative, lifelong asset for those who learnFor many, the turning point in adopting healthier habits is not just understanding nutrition but beginning to care about it. This shift often comes from engaging, accessible education—like relatable videos and interactive learning—that fosters a deeper connection to the information. By learning how food impacts the body and actively participating in the process, a once passive approach to health can motivate positive change. These are all parts of Jenn’s coaching curriculumQUOTES: [5:51] “I was a big skeptic that what you eat makes a difference in how you feel. And then, over COVID, I went gluten-free. I had such a major increase in my quality of life that I was not expecting in any way whatsoever. And I was like, what else is there?” Cayla[6:55] “I was like, all right, fine. I'll try the gluten-free, anti-inflammatory diet. So, I did the whole elimination: no sugar, no fried foods, no gluten, low sodium, all of that jazz, and it really helped. Then my skepticism went out the window because I have real evidence, blood work, that indicates that my inflammation from gluten was significantly reduced after cutting it out.” Cayla [12:26] “I think a common thread in anybody who chooses to work with a coach is to say, ‘I recognize that there's something I don't know here, and I'm willing to learn and  have a guide or a Sherpa in the process’.” Jenn Trepeck[13:09] “I had no idea what fiber was. I've been gluten-free and on and off other elimination diets, testing out what is best for me on a physical comfort scale, but in no way did I have the nutritious sense at all. I don't know how I was functioning. I had probably no protein in my diet. I was running on the fumes of carbs. ” Cayla[14:28] “I think a lot of people approach this with a, ‘what do I have to lose?’ kind of feeling, but I also think there's people saying, ‘I'm going to commit time, effort, energy, money to something; like I got a goal and I want to hit it. This is part of the plan to get there.’ And I think some of those goals can be relatively universal, right? There's a lot of people who want to see the scale change.” Jenn Trepeck[16:37]  “Well, it's our educational system. It's our food system. It's our medical system, right? The structure of everything is designed to have us eating the flaming hot Cheetos, not recognizing that that's contributing to our lack of energy, literally our physical pain that’s every day for some people.” Jenn Trepeck[20:51] “I think there's a big misconception about what coaching looks like or working with somebody. Like the expectation is that someone's going to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and foods are going to fall into the eat list or the not eat list, and losing all of your favorite foods. And going back to learning to read labels, it's not a yes or no, because everything's just choices and you get to make those choices. Those aren't choices for me to make for you.” Jenn Trepeck[31:03] “Honestly, the biggest change from working with you is that I care now. I didn't care before. That's probably why all of these major things have changed for me. I didn't care what I put in my body. I would eat snacks until I was full for each meal. I had no concept of nutrition, but I didn't care to have a concept of nutrition or fitness or anything. Simply caring is all I needed to do the things I maybe subconsciously knew I should do.” Cayla[33:06] “I think that's where the coach or the guide comes in to help connect those dots. Then we learn over time that we can do this ourselves. You don't need somebody like me forever, right? It's like we can tweak and learn and maybe revisit those kinds of things, but there's a piece of learning how to do this for yourself.” Jenn Trepeck[40:02] “None of us controls our destiny, our fate, right? We might have another 10 minutes. We might have another 40 years. So that part you can't control outside of eating well and exercising. But if I can control the quality and be healthy and available for what I want to do and be healthy and around for my family, that’s what I want.”  PaulRESOURCES:Become A Member of Salad with a Side of FriesJenn’s Free Menu PlanA Salad With a Side of FriesA Salad With A Side Of Fries MerchA Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram