Episodios

  • Belly Fat: Are you in the danger zone?

    Belly Fat: Are you in the danger zone?
    May 2 2025

    Find Out If Your Belly Fat is In the Danger Zone —and What to Do About It

    First things first:

    ❌ You don’t need a clock.

    ❌ You don’t need another app.

    ✅ You just need a tape measure.

    (And a little honesty.)

    Here’s how to check — the right way:

    How to Measure Your Belly Fat Accurately

    1. Grab a flexible tape measure (the kind used for sewing, not the metal construction one from the garage!).

    2. Stand up straight, but relax. No sucking it in like a before-and-after photo. Inhale, exhale, and let your body be.

    3. Find your measuring spot:

    ○ Place the tape measure right around your belly button, just above your hip bones.

    ○ Make sure it’s snug but not cinched tight. It should rest comfortably against your skin — not digging in.

    4. Look straight ahead and read the measurement — no tilting your head or pulling tighter.

    Honesty is power here.

    🚩 What Your Measurement Means

    ● For women: A waist circumference greater than 35 inches (89 cm) signals an unhealthy amount of visceral (belly) fat, increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health issues.

    ● For men: Over 40 inches (102 cm) is considered unhealthy.

    The greater the waist measurement, the higher the health risks.

    👉 If you’re over 35 inches (ladies) or over 40 inches (gentlemen), it’s time to take action — but not with shame or crash diets — with smart, sustainable shifts that work with your body, not against it.

    🍴 Let’s work on this together!

    Eating plant-based can be a challenge, but for me the challenge is eating out. But if I back up a step, the real problem is that I didn’t plan, so we hop in the car.

    And I can promise what you eat in a restaurant, order for take-out, or pull out of a package is NOT healthy for any part of your body, including your waistline.

    What you need is not willpower. You need a plan and I’m here to help. Make sure you are on my email list. I'm sharing super-helpful tools and recipes.

    An INSTANT POT and NINJA BLENDER are great time saving tools. (*contains affiliate links)

    Subscribe HERE for all the tips and recipes

    Belly fat is a signal, not a life sentence.

    To reach any destination, you have to know where you are starting. Later, we can map out the steps to get there.

    🌟 Your Next Step

    Listen to this episode, where I invite you to join my journey to lose a few inches. I recently did this successfully, and I’d like to share more with you, including recipes, so make sure you are on my email list.

    Subscribe HERE

    Stay tuned next week. I’ll talk more about belly fat causes and cures. You've got this. And healthy looks great on you.
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    15 m
  • Don't fall for food marketing tricks

    Don't fall for food marketing tricks
    Apr 25 2025
     You want to eat healthy and you're doing your best. But the grocery store, it can feel like a minefield of marketing buzzwords, multi-grain, all natural, lightly sweetened or made with real fruit. They all sound healthy, right? But are they? We are going to look at the sneaky and misleading world of food marketing under a magnifying glass today so that you know how to shop smart at the grocery store.  I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. I practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 20 years until I landed on the other side of the sheets as a very sick patient. When my own body betrayed me, I took a handful of pills to manage my disease and another handful to counteract the side effects. My health was out of control. Through surgery, medications, and lots of prayers, I  regained my strength only to face another  diagnosis. My doctor challenged me to make radical changes through lifestyle medicine. Now I feel great and I want to help you make changes that make a difference. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to mini medical school so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.  Being healthy isn't just about willpower. It's about knowledge. And once you learn how to spot these tricks, you'll shop smarter, eat better, and feel more in control. This is episode 1 69. Don't fall for marketing tricks in the grocery store. You really do want to eat healthy and you check the labels and try to make good choices, but let's be honest, grocery shopping can feel like walking through a maze of healthy sounding words that don't always mean what you think. There are eight common phrases that show up everywhere on cereals, yogurts, granola bars, juices, and they sound wholesome and smart and safe. But behind the scenes, they are misleading at best and downright deceptive at worst. By the end of this episode though, you are going to be a label reading pro. You'll learn how food companies use marketing tricks to make junk food sound healthy, and how you can spot the truth with a quick glance at the label because who's got time to stand in the grocery store aisle and read all the labels? I will say that if you missed my episode on reading a nutritional label, then you should go back and listen to that and I'll put a link in the show notes, but it's episode number 115, or you can go to my website, healthy Looks Great on you.com, and just type label in the search bar and it will come up. But if you're ready to decode the deception, let's get started. We're going to go to mini medical school, and today our class is psychology. Psychology is an important part of overall health, and marketers know it. That's why they spend millions and millions of dollars on food packaging, they're counting on you to be pulled in by the front of the package. And the last thing they want you to do is turn it over and read the nutrition label because that's where the facts are listed. That's why I wanted you to go back and listen to episode 115. But today you're going to learn that the front of the package is just bait and there's always a hook. Here's what I'm talking about. Calming earth tones so that it looks natural, farm scenery so that it feels wholesome. And there are some buzzwords that sound really good, but they're not. And we call all of that a health halo. And what they're trying to do is give you the impression that unhealthy food is good for you. Today, we're going to look at eight common terms that are used on the front of the package labeling, and then I'm going to give you one. Just one piece of advice that is going to change the way you do your grocery shopping, so stay tuned. Let's start with those eight labels. The first one, and you will see this everywhere, is multi grain, and that sounds so healthy because fiber is so important in our diet to have a healthy gut. And so we want to have grains in our diet, but multi-grain, no, that's not what we need. It's whole grains that we need. and you see what happens. They can use the word multi-grain when they just mean processed grains, but more than one of them. So they could have one or two or even 10 grains that have been entirely stripped of their nutrients, and they can still call it multi-grain. And that sounds like a healthy mix of grains, but it's not. even if the flour is wheat flour and it's enriched. And refined, then it's just an unhealthy grain in disguise, and what you really need is whole grains that still have the brand and the germ, because that's where the fiber is, that's where the B vitamins are antioxidants. All of that is found in whole grain. So what you really should look for is 100% whole grain. Otherwise, multi-grain is usually a trick. And a little twist on that is...
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    13 m
  • Stop Those Spinning Thoughts with Carol Feil

    Stop Those Spinning Thoughts with Carol Feil
    Apr 18 2025

    You’re lying in bed. Your body is exhausted, but your mind is replaying things you wish you’d said in a conversation earlier that day, rehearsing conversations that haven’t even happened, or mentally writing tomorrow’s to-do list.

    Sound familiar?

    You’re not broken. You’re not alone. And you’re not powerless.

    In this week’s episode of the Healthy Looks Great on You podcast, I’m joined by my friend Carol Feil to talk about something so many of us struggle with:

    Episode 168: How to Stop Spinning Thoughts So You Can Sleep

    Inside, we unpack: Why your thoughts spin out of control, especially at night. How people-pleasing, perfectionism, and fear fuel mental loops What it means to recognize a thought… and replace it The power of scripture, stillness, and reframing Why controlling your thoughts during the day is the key to sleeping at night

    Mental overload affects more than sleep.It also affects relationships, health, and sense of peace.

    If you’ve ever felt hijacked by your own mind, this episode is for you.

    Listen now to Episode 168:

    You can change the soundtrack in your mind for restful sleep.

    ~Dr. Vickie

    Visit www.CarolFeil.com to learn more about being seen, known and loved.
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    26 m
  • 5 Hacks to Boost Mental Sharpness

    5 Hacks to Boost Mental Sharpness
    Apr 11 2025

     

    Your brain is the muscle you’re forgetting to train

    We talk a lot about physical fitness — steps, reps, squats, smoothies.

    But how often do you work on brain fitness?

    Here’s the truth: You can’t afford to ignore it.

    I’ve seen the negative impacts of cognitive decline up close — the slow fade of memory, decision-making, even personality changes. Dementia doesn’t just steal thoughts. It steals connection, identity, and independence.

    But what if we could do something now to keep our brains sharper, longer?

    This week on the podcast, I’m sharing: 5 Hacks to Boost Mental Sharpness (and Train Your Brain Like a Muscle)

    I’ll walk you through:

    • What neuroplasticity really means — and how to unlock it
    • Why you need to challenge your brain, not just fuel it
    • How learning new things protects cognitive function
    • The connection between powerful muscles and longevity
    • And why restorative sleep is the foundation of brain health

    Your brain is your most valuable asset. Let’s take care of it together!

    Click here to sign up to receive every episode in your inbox

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    Lumosity
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    20 m
  • How to do your own research

    How to do your own research
    Apr 4 2025
    When you see medical information, how do you know if it's true or just hype? You're often told to do your own research, but how?   I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you. Episode 1 66 "How to do your own Research." Five years ago, the world shut down. And I remember that day so clearly. I called my mother and I said, where are you? And she was getting a mammogram and I said, go home and stay home for the next several weeks. I worked from home, visited with my friends outside and distanced, and we wore a mask in public. I even hosted my family for Thanksgiving outside on the deck. Honestly, it was one of the most memorable thanksgivings ever. I used the china tablecloths, and I even moved the dining room chairs outside. Fortunately, the weather was perfect, but was all that really necessary. People started asking questions and coming up with their own answers. I've wanted to do this episode for a long time. But it's not about covid. We'll get to that later, but this is the time in history when people were encouraged to start doing their own medical research. However, to my knowledge, nobody's giving you instructions on how. I love people and I love helping people learn to optimize their health through evidence-based lifestyle medicine. And if anything I say offends you, let's talk about it. You can email me at DrVickie@healthylooksgreatonyou.com, and I'll schedule a call with you. I will not, however, engage with anyone on social media. That's just not a good way to have a conversation. We should do it in person. If you've listened to this podcast before, you know we're going to mini medical school to learn how to do your own research. But I suppose that only equips you to do mini research. Right? On top of that, there are a lot of pre-reqs for medical school classes, like statistics and basic biology. So let's start there with a couple of definitions. In vivo versus in vitro. I bet you didn't see that coming, but stick with me. This is important. In vitro refers to in the lab, either in a test tube or a Petri dish, in vivo refers to a living organism. And you need to understand that humans are unique. What affects a jellyfish may not affect a dog the same way. And what affects a monkey, may not have the same effects on your brother, even if he acts like one sometimes. So when doing your own research, it's important to understand where the experiment took place. For example, I recently saw someone touting the benefits of an old drug that we used to use for bladder cancer until better treatments were developed. When I looked at the source, the studies were done on mouse melanoma cells from the lab. In other words, they gave a mouse cancer, took the cancer cells out, mixed 'em in a dish with this drug, and voila, the cancer cells died. Okay? If I need something to kill mouse cancer cells in a Petri dish, please sign me up. But you get the picture. Now, I mentioned that I looked at the source, and if you hear me say one thing today, it's, look at the source. Always, look at the source. And it's also important to talk about the pace of science. As studies are done, new information becomes available, and recommendations may change. If you listen to the end of my podcast, I say that at the end of every episode. And listen, I do a ton of research for every one of these episodes. It takes me hours and hours longer than the writing, recording, editing, and publishing. But that still doesn't mean a new study won't come out tomorrow and make the information that I'm sharing outdated. So if you're going to do your own research, you gotta keep up and make sure there's not a more current, better designed study that suggests something different. Let me put it like this. About a year and a half ago, I moved away from the town where I had lived for 28 years, and the whole entire time I lived there, there was this big red brick building right there on Main Street. Now, I hadn't been back in a while, but the other day I went and when I drove down Main Street, that building was white. Now if I hadn't been there recently, I would believe with all my heart that there was a big red brick building on Main Street. But things change, and if you look at a study that's five years old, you need to understand that five years is a really long time in the world of science and research. We may have learned a lot of new information since then. Things change. So keep that in mind when you're doing your own research. Now I've been talking about sources and I'll keep doing it, but here's the deal. I see a lot of information shared without any source, medical and otherwise no source. Just a so-called fact, and people share it like it's the gospel truth. Can I be...
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    20 m
  • Intentional steps for habit change and managing stress with Shelley Fourney

    Intentional steps for habit change and managing stress with Shelley Fourney
    Mar 28 2025
     Have you ever seen a therapist or maybe you've wanted to see a therapist and you haven't? Well, in today's episode, you are going to visit with Shelly Forney, and she is a licensed therapist who specializes in solution focus brief therapy. Now, I'm not gonna promise that you're going to have all the tools you need to navigate whatever stress is going on in your life, but if you're trying to make a habit change or if you just need a starting place to take those first small steps, you're going to love this interview.  I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.   Shelley is a licensed clinical social worker who practices as an individual therapist. Her favorite thing to dois help people move forward, one little baby step at a time, not big steps. When people try to manage stress, they tend to plan for the next six months, but Shelley encourages them to think about what needs to happen to get through today. She asks questions to guide people to think about what works for them. She says, " I'm not an expert on your life, but you are. My job is to ask you good questions help you facilitate what it is you want." What works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for another. You are the expert on you, so if someone tells you what you should do about stress, anxiety, sleep and depression, it often doesn't work. You don't need 20 tips, you need a solution that works for you. That's what I teach in my sleep course. If someone tells you to change a habit, like quit smoking, Shelley asks why it matters to them, not the doctor. Because it has to be important, or they won't be successful. Shelley uses Solution Focus Brief therapy. Her approach is to ask her clients, "What do you want?" then she helps them move forward. In particularly stressful situations where there's been a loss she tries to help them get through minute by minute, or a week at at time. It's effective and rewarding. She recommends starting with what is working in your life. We all have routines that help us stop and head back in the direction we want to do. It's not a quick fix, but it can impact your day using tiny steps. For someone deep in grief, it might mean getting through the next hour, by accomplishing basic things, like eating and drinking. Shelley views her role as validating the next tiny step they've decided to take. She ask really good questions and people come up with solutions and how to change things in their lives. She listens and helps them find things in their life that will work for them. When it comes to spinning thoughts, which is a form of feeling anxious, she recommends practicing gratefulness. You can't be anxious and grateful at the same time. She encourages people to have compassion and grace for themselves. Instead of ruminating, think of it as an opportunity to learn. The hand to heart technique can be used to interrupt spinning thoughts, by simply placing your hand on your shoulder. The act of touching tells our nervous system we are safe and can automatically calm your mind. It feels weird at first, but what will you accomplish by negatively talking to yourself? It works. Set goals that can be pretty easily achieved. Then celebrate small wins. People often set goals that are too big and hard to achieve. Instead, figure out some first steps. If you want to exercise, decide what time of day and what you are going to wear. Pare it down to increase success rather than setting a lofty goal and failing. It's not about where you'd like to be, we are working on that. But what is it for today or this week? Baby steps in the right direction leads to more success. Form a visual picture of where you'd like to be. What does happy look like to you? Mental health is often like physical health. One thing causes another thing to be worse, spinning in a vicious cycle. Shelley would prescribe exercise, healthy eating and journaling for all of her clients. Her practice is called Intentional Steps. Visit her website: www.intentionalsteps.us Go follow Shelley Fourney, Intentional Steps on Facebook and Instagram. She posts really helpful videos. The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change
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    23 m
  • Why do my joints hurt?

    Why do my joints hurt?
    Mar 21 2025
     Do you ever feel like the Tin man needing some WD 40 just to get moving? Let's talk about what causes joint pain and how to prevent and treat it.  I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you. Episode 164. Why do my joints hurt? When I sit for a while the urge to groan when I stand up comes pretty naturally and I'm really trying hard to fight it, but I've put quite a bit of strain on my joints over the years, and I'm not alone. One in five adults have some form of arthritis. Back in the day, old people called it rheumatism. I haven't heard that term in a while, but now I am old people. But rheumatism is used synonymously with arthritis. It's a catchall term and it doesn't necessarily refer to rheumatoid arthritis. And listen, there are over 100 different types of arthritis, but today we're only going to focus on osteoarthritis because it's by far the most common affecting over 32 million people in the United States. And the prevalence is increasing, making it the third most common disease that is going upward behind high blood pressure and dementia. Grandpa can tell it's going to rain because his rheumatism is acting up, and in fact, damp weather can make arthritis pain flare, but it's more than just aches and pains. Osteoarthritis is serious. In fact, it's the leading cause of disability in the United States. It's also expensive. The price tag is reported to be over $150 billion a year. Some of that is lost wages and some is because of joint replacement, and it is important to see a doctor and have your pain evaluated. Let's go to mini medical school and learn about joints. No, not that kind of joint. Although CBD oil and marijuana have been studied for joint pain and they are effective - every bit as effective as placebo, that smells like weed. Go figure. But I meant the articulation between bones and other structures that allow us to move. Now that I think about it, the word joint can refer to your banking account, something you smoke, a fastener to hold the roof on your house, or in this case, a place where bones meet. So let's look at all the players that gather in this meeting place besides bones. You've got ligaments and tendons that hold the joint together, and both of these are strong bands of connective tissue. The ligaments connect bone to bone. And that supports and limits movement while tendons connect muscle to bone and that controls movement. You've also got cartilage that covers the surface where two or more bones meet and that's designed to reduce friction. You know when two or more are gathered, there's always friction, so you need something to smooth things out. Another structure that helps reduce friction is a fluid filled sac called the bursa, and this is filled with a thick, clear, sticky fluid called synovial fluid that is secreted by the synovial membrane and that lines the joint and seals it into a capsule. And there are lots of different types of joints besides the ones I mentioned earlier. Some of them move in just one direction, like your elbow, and those are called hinge joints. Others allow rotation like your neck. That's called a pivot joint. Shoulders and hips are the ball and socket joints to allow movement in several directions. And the wrist is similar, but without pivots, so it's called an ellipsoidal joint. Okay. Now you've completed orthopedics 101. Oh, wait. Since we're discussing osteoarthritis today, you probably need to know that osteo means bone. And you've probably heard people say that they had a knee replacement because it was bone on bone. Well, osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage is gone, and it's a gradual process that occurs over many years usually. You probably know that the biggest risk factor for osteoarthritis is age. But listen, it's not a normal part of aging due to wear and tear, though clearly it can develop where there's been a prior injury. It's hard to think about it when you're young and doing back handsprings or shooting hoops or making tackles, but often those old injuries do eventually catch up with you. But, even without an injury, repetitive occupational or avocational activities can leave their mark. But get this, being sedentary does its own damage. Does that mean that runners are destined to ruin their knees? Actually no. Even though they're asking a lot from that three to five millimeter layer of cartilage, genetics plays a role too. So choose your parents very wisely. But even if your parents have osteoarthritis, it doesn't mean that you will, because lifestyle is a huge factor. And since I'm here to talk to you about lifestyle medicine. Let's talk about the things you can control, and we're mostly going to focus on two pillars of lifestyle medicine, and ...
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    17 m
  • Cholesterol: Good vs. Bad

    Cholesterol: Good vs. Bad
    Mar 14 2025
     You've gone to the doctor and had your cholesterol checked, but what do all those numbers mean? And is there anything you can do to lower your cholesterol without medications? I'm so glad you asked. I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you. This is episode 1 64. Cholesterol, the Good versus the Bad. When I was about 26 years old, I had my cholesterol checked for the first time. Imagine my surprise when the number was 256. Yikes. Now admittedly, the hospital where I was doing my residency had a fast food restaurant conveniently located right there in the cafeteria and my go-to: hamburgers and french fries. But also I have a strong family history of significantly elevated cholesterol. The doctor said I could lower it some and I should diet and exercise and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But guess what? I eventually lowered my cholesterol to 156 without medication, and I'm going to tell you how you can do it too. But first, let's start at the beginning and go to mini medical school and learn exactly what is cholesterol. Technically we call it a lipid, which is sort of like a fat that circulates in your bloodstream. Structurally, these compounds make up parts of cell membranes and functionally they help regulate the transport across these membranes, so that's good. Right? Well, yes, we do need cholesterol to help move and store energy, produce hormones, and absorb vitamins. But you know, too much of a good thing. We'll get to that. Lipids don't dissolve in water, so they have to hitch a ride on proteins to travel through the blood, and when they get hitched, they change their name to lipoproteins. Now this is gonna sound familiar if you've ever had a lipid panel drawn. HDL stands for high density lipoproteins and LDL stands for low density lipoproteins. Where does it come from? Well, your body actually makes it in both the liver and small intestines. Then it's stored in the liver where it's converted to bile acids, so you can get rid of it. Is it bad or good? Well, that depends. HDL cholesterol reduces inflammation, prevents blood clots, and helps transport oxygen. And your body makes all of it that you need all of it. But here's the deal. Not only does your body make cholesterol, but we also eat it. Most of the cholesterol in the standard American diet comes from meat, eggs, cheese, and dairy products. Oh, well, who can afford eggs anyway? But seriously, cholesterol is sneaky. Rather than announcing its presence, it just slips through your blood vessels undetected, but it leaves a calling card and we call it plaque. This buildup in the wall of the arteries can lead to hardening of the arteries and therefore cardiovascular disease. Think about it. If a plaque gets big enough, it can compromise blood flow and cause a heart attack or stroke. And this can also happen with smaller plaques when a piece breaks off. I told you cholesterol is sneaky. Most people who have high cholesterol have no symptoms. We call it hyperlipidemia, and that's why you need to know your numbers and you need to know what they mean. I guess all those burgers weren't helping me have healthy blood vessels when I was in my twenties. But that's not the whole story. We could go to mini medical school and learn the difference between HDL and LDL cholesterol, or we could just call them good cop, bad cop. Because that kind of sums it up. The reason LDL cholesterol is the bad cop is because it causes a fatty buildup inside the arteries and that impairs blood flow and puts you at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke. You've seen those detective shows where they lock someone in an interrogation room and they just yell at 'em. No, it's not exactly the same, but I bet you'll remember now that LDL the bad cop cholesterol can make you have a heart attack. Now the good cop HDL cholesterol can actually lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. You know, it's the reassuring I'll be your friend cop. Picture the scene, bad cop is giving the suspect a really hard time and good cop comes in and sends the bad cop away. Stick with me here. HDL, good cholesterol carries at least a little bit of the LDL or bad cholesterol out of the arteries where it causes damage and into the liver where it can be broken down and eliminated. So speaking in very general terms, you want your HDL cholesterol to be high and your LDL cholesterol to be low. We'll get to specific numbers in a sec. I do want to mention triglycerides. They are not the same thing as cholesterol, but they hang out together because you know, birds of a feather... When you have a lipid panel done, they often measure the whole flock, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL, cholesterol and triglycerides. You've also ...
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    22 m
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