Are your blood markers telling you and your doctor the whole story? Chronic inflammation is the silent driver behind nearly every major disease, and the good news is that your lifestyle choices decide the outcome. Don't wait for a life altering diagnosis to take action.
In this episode of Salad With a Side of Fries, host Jenn Trepeck breaks down how blood markers move, how preventable diseases develop, and why epigenetics means your genes are not your fate. If you have ever felt like your health was out of your hands, this episode will change the way you think about your daily choices.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why chronic inflammation is considered the root cause of virtually every major illness and how oxidative stress accelerates disease progression in the body.
✅ How epigenetics reveals that your lifestyle choices, not just your genetics, impact disease-related genes.
✅ What specific blood markers to track for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and kidney disease, and realistic timelines for improving them.
✅ How to advocate for yourself in a medical system still rooted in a prescription-first approach, and how to ask your doctor for the time and space to make disease prevention changes first.
The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight-loss topics, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding nutrition and the food industry. Let’s dive into real-life wellness and weight loss, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Preventable diseases don't have to be your story and what blood markers can and cannot tell you
05:55 The most common diseases: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer and how they are linked to lifestyle choices
06:46 Epigenetics explained: how your daily habits turn disease risk genes up or down
17:21 Lifestyle choices, from gut health to the brain to the endocrine system, impact every organ system
20:10 Oxidative stress and free radicals explained: the science behind chronic disease
25:01 Lifestyle choices that support overall health rather than disease and healthcare 3.0, being your own advocate
32:12 Discussion of food with no labels; vegetables, fruit and lean meat
36:19 Movement as disease prevention: why sitting all day quietly drives chronic illness more than we realize
41:06 Longevity, community, connection, sleep, and stress management as overlooked pillars of health
42:05 Blood marker timelines: how fast insulin, A1C, cholesterol, and blood pressure respond to lifestyle changes
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
💎 Chronic inflammation is not just a buzzword. It is the measurable, biological root of nearly every disease, and lifestyle choices are the most powerful lever you have to reduce it.
💎 Your family history of high cholesterol or heart disease often reflects shared habits, not shared DNA. Epigenetics shows that genes can be turned up or down based on how you live.
💎 Blood markers are lagging indicators. You will often feel the early effects of disease before any test confirms it, which means acting on symptoms matters even before numbers change.
💎 You have the right to ask your doctor for time to make disease prevention changes before turning to medication. Most physicians will say yes when a patient asks directly and confidently.
RESOURCES:
Today's episode sponsor: BetterHelp
Become a Happy Healthy Hub Member
Jenn’s Free Menu Plan
A Salad With a Side of Fries
A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch
A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram
About Uncomplicating Wellness
Text ‘Book’ to 833-801-0500
Nutrition Nugget: Genes and Epigenetics
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The Alcohol-Cancer Connection (feat. Cecily Mak)
The Longevity Equation
The Fitness of Business with Leslie Boyce
QUOTES:
06:29 “Many times people will say, ‘Oh, well, high blood pressure runs in my family,’ or, ‘High cholesterol runs in my family’, and we tend to forget that what also runs in our family is lifestyle choices.” - Jenn Trepeck
17:42 “In my practice, I've yet to encounter a disease that can't be improved, even if it's the symptoms, by lifestyle choices.” - Jenn Trepeck
19:53 “Acute inflammation helps us heal. Chronic inflammation is where we end up in this disease state.” - Jenn Trepeck
36:46 “Sitting is the new smoking. We have to find movement throughout the day as opposed to thinking of it as working out.” - Jenn Trepeck
46:22 “Is your body hospitable to or creating disease or health?” - Jenn Trepeck
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