Balancing your blood sugar can have a huge impact on your brain health. If you experience brain fog, energy crashes, mood swings, cravings, or more, this episode is for you? Tune in to learn more about balancing your blood sugar. In this week’s episode, Jenn talks with health and wellness expert Megan Lyons about how blood sugar affects brain health. Megan explains how different foods impact our brain, the role of neuroinflammation, and the literal connection between the gut and the brain, known as the vagus nerve. They discuss how being in a stressed state can affect digestion and blood sugar. Megan also shares practical tips for balancing blood sugar with different eating habits. Finally, Jenn and Megan chat about what's important and what's overrated when it comes to managing blood sugar. Tune in for useful advice and simple explanations!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: [06:22] Megan shares about herself and her background.[10:55] How might someone know if they are experiencing blood sugar dysregulation?[14:15] What's the connection between brain health and food? [15:29] How does neuroinflammation happen? [18:55] What food choices can help reduce or clear inflammation in the body? [22:10] How do vitamins and minerals help with inflammation? [24:07] How can you improve the gut/brain connection and tone of the vagus nerve? [27:48] Megan shares some tips for balancing blood sugar.[31:52] What are the most underrated things we should be doing to help balance blood sugar?[34:27] What are some of the most overrated things that people are doing that aren’t always necessary? KEY TAKEAWAYS: Anti-inflammatory foods, sleep, and movement are essential for brain health. Focusing on the fundamentals before any supplement or biohack is where one needs to start. Focus on digestion, sleep, stress management, nutrient-dense diet, and movement before reaching for the next quick fix. Just get started. It doesn’t matter which foundation you start with because they all impact one another. Start with the one that catches your attention the most and do the small steps to improve, then move on to the next. QUOTES: [12:14] “To answer your question, what might people experience if they’re having some blood sugar dysregulation, honestly it could be so many things. Most commonly I see that energy slump, that craving, I need chocolate, I need caffeine, or I need a nap a couple hours after lunch tends to be the primary one. Some extra belly fat around the middle can be related to blood sugar, brain fog is often related as well.” - Megan Lyons[23:34] “Your nervous system can get hyper-activated, it can get kind of caught in that flight or flight state, and magnesium is soothing for that. It can help us shift into that parasympathetic state. It’s implicated in so many different cellular reactions that help control inflammation.” - Megan Lyons[34:51] “There is no supplement in the world that will allow you to just eat those jelly beans all day without anything else and still have good blood sugar. I encourage people to pay attention to the foundations and not necessarily get too far off track there.” - Megan Lyons[38:18] “We prioritize these hacks over the fundamentals, and you can’t supplement your way out of poor nutrition, we can’t cold plunge our way out of not sleeping.” - Jenn TrepeckRESOURCES: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 InstagramGUEST RESOURCES:The Lyons Share WebsiteFreebie: The Revitalize Health AcceleratorThe Lyons Share PinterestGUEST BIO:Megan Lyons is a sought-after health & wellness expert who is deeply passionate about inspiring others to feel their healthiest and happiest. Megan is a Harvard graduate, MBA, and former management consultant who left the business world to follow her passion for wellness by opening The Lyons' Share Wellness in 2014. Since then, she's earned a Master's degree in Holistic Nutrition, and become Double Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition and has amassed over 10,000 hours of 1-to-1 nutrition consulting with clients internationally. Megan is the author of “Start Here: 7 Easy, Diet-Free Steps to Achieve Your Ultimate Health and Happiness,” a Top 10 Amazon Bestseller in Nutrition, and she runs a top podcast on health and wellness, “Wellness Your Way with Megan Lyons.” Her Revitalize Health Accelerator is a community of health-minded individuals looking to continuously uplevel their health and wellness.