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. Today Jenn is talking to functional medicine doctor, Dr. Jessie Hehmeyer. Dr. Hehmeyer discusses what a natural medicine doctor is, how to integrate natural medicine when working with a western medicine doctor, and her five essentials to weight loss. She offers insightful information about the different aspects of health and explains how everything in the body is interconnected, from our skin to our digestive system to our moods. Dr. Hehmeyer takes us on a beautiful journey to visualize our future selves five years from now as a tool for addressing the root cause of weight gain. Tune in today to learn how to crack the code for your health.IN THIS EPISODE:●   [5:10] What prompted Jessie to enter the fitness, health, and the functional medicine field? ●   [8:12] How does Jessie define natural medicine/functional medicine? ●   [11:36] What is natural medicine? ●   [14:05] How do you talk with your western medicine doc if you want to do more natural medicine? ●   [20:54] What are the five essentials of weight loss?●   [26:57] Jessie takes us on a journey five years from now about our future selves.●   [33:20] How can someone find a functional health doc to help them, and what lab/blood tests should a person request?●   [37:25] What common things does Jessie see that people tend to ignore?●   [38:50] Advice for someone who feels like they can't crack the code to their own weight. KEY TAKEAWAYS:●   All systems are connected. Your skin, digestive system, mood, and insulin are all connected, and a natural medicine doctor can take an approach that acknowledges our bodies' interconnectivity and identify the root cause of health issues. ●   You are always saying NO to something. Be intentional with choosing your “No’s.” Saying Yes to the overindulgence is saying no to the outcomes you're committed to and the future you intend for yourself. ●   Bodies are different. What one body needs is different from what another body needs. Not everyone is the same, so not all weight loss strategies will work for everyone.QUOTES: “You're not just what you eat, you're what you don’t excrete.” - Dr. Jessica Hehmeyer“Cultivating the ability to be kind and honest is number one on anyone’s journey to master weight.” - Dr. Jessica Hehmeyer“You really want to get present to what this is really about to you. Cause I promise, if it were about the scale, you’d already have it handled. Yes, you want the scale to be a certain number, yes you want to wear those jeans, yes you want to feel great when you get dressed in the morning. You want to get tapped into what becomes available when this area of your life is handled.” - Dr. Jessica Hehmeyer RESOURCES: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 InstagramGUEST RESOURCES: Well Empowered InstagramWell Empowered FacebookWell Empowered WebsiteJessica Hehmeyer's LinkedInGUEST BIO:Dr. Jessie Hehmeyer is the physician founder of Well Empowered, where she practices data-driven, outcome-oriented Functional Medicine. She created Well Empowered with one commitment in mind: providing you the foundation of health and vitality that transforms your experience of life and alters what is possible for you.How does Dr. H live true to this? By taking a root-cause, natural medicine approach. In working one-on-one, with groups, or delivering corporate webinars, Dr. H’s guidance balances science, and heart, providing the information, inspiration, and strategies needed to translate information into sustainable and transformative health outcomes. Dr. H earned her Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States, Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine from National University of Health Sciences, and Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Los Angeles. She is an IFM Certified Practitioner, a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN), a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) and has learned from physicians at the forefront of Functional Medicine, including Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Tom O'Bryan and Dr. Datis Kharrazian. Prior to attending graduate school, she established herself as an expert in the fitness industry, earning seven certifications and founding the first high-intensity personal training facility in Chicago at the age of 25. In her spare time, you will find Dr. H with her husband, Chris, doing yoga, hiking, strength training, traveling, or preparing a beautiful, healthy meal for loved ones.