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Welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a

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show where we take a closer look at nutrition trends

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and headlines, explain how

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the latest research applies to you, and answer

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your questions. I'm your host, Monica

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Reinagle. And lately, I have

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gotten a ton of questions

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on a compound called berberine.

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Is it safe and or beneficial?

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But before I get to that, a question from Anne

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Marie, who wrote,

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I've heard that chewing our food is better

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than drinking it. Is this true?

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And to what degree? I'm a

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person who loves smoothies for breakfast.

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So should I make my smoothies thicker and

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eat them with a spoon instead?

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Obviously, there are some situations,

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such as following dental surgery

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or some other circumstance that makes

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chewing difficult, where liquid nutrition

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is actually going to be better.

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But I'm guessing that Anne Marie is

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referring to the effect that chewing

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has on satiety.

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There's quite a bit of research to show that the

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texture of food has a big effect on

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how full we feel after eating

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it, or even how much of it

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we end up eating.

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And that effect is independent

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of other factors, such as how many calories

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it contains, or even how much protein

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or fat or fiber it contains.

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In general, foods that require more chewing

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lead to lower intake and

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greater satiety.

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And thicker liquids tend

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to be more filling than thinner ones. So

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eating a bowl of yogurt with some fruit and maybe

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some grains or chia seeds or whatever

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would theoretically keep you full longer

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than putting those exact same

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foods into the blender and making them into

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a smoothie.

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There's even research to show that

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adding a zero-calorie thickening

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agent to a liquid

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makes it more filling. So Anne

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Marie may be onto something. in terms of making

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her smoothies thicker. But

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in the spirit of, if it ain't broke,

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don't fix it,

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it may be that satiety is

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not a problem. So if your smoothie

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is getting you as far through the day as

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you need it to, and you enjoy

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that convenience, or just the experience

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of consuming your breakfast that way, there's

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no compelling nutritional reason

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to change what you're doing. For

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that matter, if you're actually trying

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to consume more calories

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without getting overly full, you

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could even take advantage of that

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effect.

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On the other hand,

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if you find yourself hungry soon

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after drinking a smoothie that contains an entire

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meal's worth of nutrition, well,

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in that case, you could experiment with a breakfast that's

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nutritionally equivalent, but

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requires some chewing.

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Research studies, like the ones on texture

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and satiety, can certainly be informative,

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but remember that research suggests what's

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most likely to happen for most people.

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Your mileage may vary. So

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don't be afraid to find out what works

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for you based on your needs and

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preferences.

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I have a great idea for dinner tonight. How

3:18

about a chicken cheddar broccoli

3:20

rice bowl, which you could whip up in

3:22

just 30 minutes with the help of a Knorr

3:25

cheddar broccoli rice side. Who needs

3:27

fast food when Knorr has these delicious

3:30

and nutritious recipes that you can make at home

3:32

in under 30 minutes? Make

3:35

your own taste combo. Show

3:37

us how you create delicious, nutritious

3:39

meals at home with Knorr using

3:41

hashtag Knorr versus combo

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on social. Visit knortastecombos.com

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to find other easy to make at home recipes

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from Knorr.

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And now let's talk about berberine,

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a natural compound that has been gaining a

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lot. of attention lately.

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This molecule is found in a variety

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of different plants that are used

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in herbal medicine, including Golden

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Seal,

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Oregon Grape, which despite

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the name is unrelated to the grapes

4:14

that we eat or make into wine, and

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an herb known as Chinese Gold

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Thread. And there are a lot

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of different health benefits that are popularly

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attributed to berberine, including cardiovascular,

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neuroprotective, and immune-boosting

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properties. And most of those

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claims have only limited or preliminary

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evidence to support them.

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But the thing that's getting most of the attention right

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now is berberine's potential

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to modulate blood sugar, lowering

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fasting blood glucose levels, as well

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as blood sugar spikes following meals.

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Obviously, this is of interest to

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people who may have been diagnosed with

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high blood sugar or pre-diabetes.

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It's even sometimes positioned as a

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natural alternative to prescription

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diabetes medications, such as metformin.

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Even those who have normal blood

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sugar responses might wonder

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whether a supplement like this could be helpful.

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Maybe it would reduce the risk of future

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problems. With all we hear these

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days about the dangers of high blood sugar

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and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,

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that might make sense.

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But you need to know that there is

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no research to suggest that we're going to get

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any benefit

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or risk reduction from lowering

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what are normal or healthy

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blood sugar levels.

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In fact, excessively low blood sugar

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levels, known as hypoglycemia,

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can be problematic.

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What research we have on berberine

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is primarily in the context of

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managing elevated blood sugar levels.

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And the results have been promising. A 2022

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Systemic Review and Meta Analysis

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of Randomized Controlled Trials on Berberine

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found that

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it was comparable to the diabetes

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medication metformin in reducing

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fasting glucose and hemoglobin

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A1C levels in people with

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type 2 diabetes.

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HbA1C is a key marker for long-term

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blood sugar control. Burbereen has

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a very long history of use in traditional

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Chinese medicine, and researchers

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in China have been at the forefront

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of studying its potential benefits for

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diabetes management. As a result,

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most of the research on Burbereen has been

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conducted in Chinese populations,

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and we need to be cautious about generalizing

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those findings to other populations.

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It's that old story, more research is needed.

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In terms of safety, Burbereen generally

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appears to be pretty safe when used appropriately,

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although some individuals may experience

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gastrointestinal side effects like

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diarrhea or constipation.

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But in my opinion, you really

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need to be working with a health professional

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to know what an appropriate

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dose would be for your situation.

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Burbereen also has the potential to

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interact with certain medications, particularly

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those that are metabolized by the liver,

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and it can amplify the effects

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of other anti-diabetic medications.

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So if you are taking statins

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for cholesterol, blood thinners,

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or any diabetes medications,

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it's really important to discuss the

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use of Burbereen with your healthcare professional.

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Also, because dietary supplements

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are more loosely regulated and controlled

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than prescription medications, you

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need to be aware of the quality of the product

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you choose. Look for Burbereen supplements

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that have been independently tested for purity

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and potency. Select a reputable

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brand that follows good manufacturing

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practices.

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While Burbereen shows

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some promising results in research,

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it's never gonna take the place of a healthy lifestyle,

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including a balanced diet and ranking.

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exercise. But more

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importantly,

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it should never be used in place

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of or in combination

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with other anti-diabetic medications

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except under the advice and the

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supervision of a qualified healthcare professional

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because we really don't want to under correct

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or over correct

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blood sugar issues. This

8:22

is Monica Reinagel, the Nutrition Diva. If

8:25

you have a nutrition question you'd like me to answer, you

8:27

can email me at nutrition at quickanddirtytips.com

8:30

or leave me a message at 443-961-6206.

8:32

If your question is more on the subject

8:35

of

8:36

habits

8:38

and behavior change, please check

8:40

out my other podcast. It's called the Change

8:42

Academy where we talk about how to convert

8:45

those good intentions into sustainable

8:47

healthy habits. You'll find it wherever you're

8:49

listening to this podcast right now.

8:52

Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips

8:54

podcast. Our team includes our

8:56

Director of Podcasts, Adam Sessle, Audio

8:58

Engineer Nathan Semes, Davina Tomlin,

9:01

who runs our Marketing and Publicity, Holly

9:03

Hutchings, our Digital Operations Specialist,

9:06

and Morgan Christensen, our Podcast Operation

9:08

and Advertising Specialist. That's

9:11

it for me this week. Thanks so much for listening. I'll

9:13

be back soon.