In the world of AI and information overload, here’s what continues to make the biggest difference in health outcome: personalized nutrition. 

This past week alone I reviewed four different lab results from women who were struggling despite eating “pretty healthy”. 

One thought she was in perimenopause but her estrogen was actually high. Another was given a GI protocol by a functional practitioner that wasn’t comprehensive enough. A third is working on improving her cardiovascular numbers because heart disease runs in her family. 

The fourth person was Katie. Katie joined me for a hot seat coaching call inside The Being Collective Kickstarter where for 30 minutes we talked through her health needs and her labs in front of the group. 

Katie looked healthy from the outside. She worked out 3-5 times per week, tracked her steps religiously (10-15,000 daily), ate what she thought was “pretty well,” and tried lots of different health hacks she came across from podcasts.

But on the inside? She felt terrible.

She was experiencing persistent bloating, constant cravings, stubborn weight gain despite doing “all the right things” and a creeping frustration that no matter what program she tried—online health coaches, nutrition plans, Instagram advice—nothing seemed to improve her symptoms.

In our 30 minute session, I walked her through the major patterns that I saw and showed her exactly why generic advice can only get you so far with improving your symptoms and truly optimizing your health. 

Now of course this is not medical advice and this is not what would work best for you since each person has their own needs. 

The Real Issues: What Her Labs Showed

I reviewed Katie’s labs during the hot seat in The Being Collective Kickstarter. 

Katie is in her mid 30s with PCOS, which already puts her at higher risk for insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances. She’s been on birth control since her diagnosis to regulate her cycles and takes Metformin to help with blood sugar management. Here were some things I brought up: 

The Good News: Her Blood Sugar Looked Great 

A lot of women with PCOS will often have higher levels of blood sugar but Katie’s looked great:

• Fasting glucose: 75 mg/dL (optimal)
• Hemoglobin A1C: 4.9% (excellent long-term blood sugar control)
• Fasting insulin: 4.3 µIU/mL (in range and low)

These numbers look good and also indicate that the Metformin is working. This is exactly why testing matters, she’d been thinking that insulin resistance was a major driver, but her labs showed otherwise.

The Areas of Optimization: Cardiovascular Health 

What jumped out immediately was her cardiovascular panel. She had high cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, elevated small LDL particle number, and small LDL particles. This is not uncommon in women and it’s not something to take lightly given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in females. 

Here’s why this matters: It’s not just about how much LDL cholesterol you have, it’s about the type and number of particles. You want large, buoyant LDL particles, not small, dense ones. Small LDL particles are more likely to penetrate the artery walls and contribute to atherosclerosis over time. 

My recommendation was to focus on getting a minimum of 30g of fiber per day (which we already do in our meal plans in The Being Collective), keeping added sugar levels very low in the diet, focusing on the blood sugar balanced meals in TBC, and increasing omega 3 fats in her diet.  

I also recommended that she schedule with a cardiologist for a formal assessment, especially given that she also had a high Lp(a), which is strongly tied back to genetics. 

High Cortisol Numbers: The Stress Hormone 

Katie’s cortisol was also elevated. Now blood testing isn’t the most comprehensive because it doesn’t show your cortisol rhythm for the entire day but it can be an indicator of higher stress. 

This can impact women’s ability to lose fat. When your body senses chronic stress, it will never release fat. It’s too busy trying to survive.

High-Sensitivity CRP: 2.2 mg/L: The Marker of Inflammation

With an elevated hs-CRP, Katie is demonstrating that she has systemic chronic inflammation. It wasn’t tied to insulin resistance given that her glucose and insulin numbers are optimal. It’s likely that something else was driving the inflammation. There can be a long list of potential triggers which looks different for everyone. This is where deeper lab testing can help to uncover what’s happening beneath the surface. 

I Recommended Shifting the Following

Here’s what Katie was doing that actually backfired that I encouraged her to change:

1. Orange Theory 2x Per Week

My recommendation: Stop Orange Theory all together. For many women, this form of exercise is too intense. Switch to strategic strength training (like Nourish Move Love’s YouTube workouts) that builds muscle without overtaxing the nervous system. And add incline walking daily for fat-burning in a “zone 2” heart rate.

2. “Murder Yourself” Workout Mentality

Katie said she grew up playing soccer in college. Her fitness mindset was: you should walk out of your workout feeling like you got killed.

But her body didn’t need more intensity. She really needed recovery, muscle building, and nervous system regulation. It’s about working smarter, not harder. 

3. Too Much Information, Not Enough Personalization

She was consuming advice from podcasts, social media, friends, and family. All of these resources were well-meaning, but none of it tailored to her body. One person says stop running. Another says do more cardio. Someone else swears by keto. Another by intermittent fasting. 

Katie’s Personalized Insights

Based on Katie’s labs, health history, and goals, here’s what I recommended:

Nutrition Adjustments

• Continue to incorporate at least 100g of protein per day to support muscle building, blood sugar balance, and satiety (reducing those constant cravings)
• Aim for ~1500 calories per day with a mild caloric deficit—not extreme restriction that would further stress her system
• Focus on high-fiber foods (30-45g daily) to address the cardiovascular markers—more fiber helps improve cholesterol particle size and number
• Go gluten-free and dairy-free for at least 6 weeks to see if food sensitivities were contributing to the bloating and systemic inflammation (her hs-CRP of 2.2)
• Anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar-balancing meals high in phytonutrients to address root inflammation

Fitness Strategy Shift

• Drop Orange Theory and replace with strategic strength training 3-4x per week using progressive overload (lifting heavier over time)
• Add incline walking to her existing 10-15,000 daily steps for gentle, fat-burning cardio
• Focus on building muscle rather than “murdering herself” in every workout

Stress & Cortisol Management

• Prioritize nervous system regulation: breathwork, gentle yoga, or even just 5-10 minutes of intentional downtime
• Continue L-theanine supplementation: she’d already been taking this for 6+ weeks and noticed improvements in brain fog and alertness

Targeted Supplement Support

If I were Katie’s Dietitian I would recommend that she start with the following for her supplement protocol. 

• Myo-inositol: This is an evidence-based supplement for PCOS that helps lower elevated SHBG and supports insulin sensitivity. 
• Magnesium for cortisol regulation and sleep
• Omega-3s for inflammation
• Possibly digestive enzymes or betaine HCL if bloating persisted

Advanced Testing to Consider

If symptoms didn’t improve after 6 weeks of this protocol, I recommended working with one of our Functional Medicine Dietitians to run:

• Organic acids test (for deeper metabolic insights, urinary markers of candida and bacteria, nutrient deficiencies, and more. 

Katie’s Takeaway

Katie shared that she felt like this was actually doable and it helped her with understanding the why behind each of my recommendations. 

That’s the shift. Not another 30-day crash diet. Not another program she’d abandon after three months because it wasn’t “working fast enough.” A sustainable, personalized approach built around her body’s actual needs, not generic advice from social media.

Why Personalization Is Everything

Here’s the truth: you can do “all the right things” and still not see results if those things aren’t right for your body.

Katie’s story isn’t unique. We see this constantly with women who come to My Food is Health. They are eating well but not seeing changes in body composition. They are often working out intensely but feeling exhausted and inflamed. And they are trying every supplement and protocol but still struggling with energy, cravings, or hormones.

The missing piece is a deeper level of personalization.

In just a 30 minute appointment with Katie I could see that: 

• Her blood sugar was actually great, so strategies focused on insulin resistance weren’t the answer
• Her cortisol and inflammation were the real drivers of her symptoms
• Her workout routine was actively working against her hormones

Without those labs, she could have spent years chasing the wrong solutions. That’s exactly what we do in My Food is Health.

In My Food is Health You Get: 

• A comprehensive nutrient deficiency test shipped directly to your home (we’re looking at nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and more)
• A custom nutrition and supplement plan created by your Functional Medicine Dietitian based on YOUR lab results. This is not AI and it’s not cookie-cutter templates.
• 10 weeks of 1-1 support and troubleshooting so you’re not guessing or giving up too soon
• A community of women doing the same work, so you’re not alone in the process

If you are ready to stop guessing and start seeing real, sustainable results, join My Food is Health! Doors to our next program close very soon.