High Performance Health

Prof. Tim Spector and I talk about gut health, mood, inflammation and fermented foods in perimenopause, and the three diet changes he recommends to start today.

Microbiome pioneer, ZOE co-founder and Good Mood Food author Prof. Tim Spector explains why midlife mood changes are not psychosomatic: shifting hormones alter your gut microbes, which changes the inflammation and metabolic signals reaching your brain through the vagus nerve. He shares why serotonin was never the real lever, why inflammation and stable metabolism are, and why people in ZOE’s studies report better mood and energy within two weeks of changing their diet.

His three changes: 30 plants a week, three fermented foods a day and an overnight gut rest. We also cover ultra-processed food, protein versus fiber, HRT and dementia risk.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

- How perimenopause changes your gut and your mood

- Why inflammation matters more than serotonin

- Which ultra-processed foods to cut first

- His three gut changes to start today

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro: Is Perimenopause Changing Your Gut and Your Mood?

07:20 Mood and Energy Lift Within Two Weeks of Changing Your Diet

09:32 How Shifting Hormones Change Your Gut Microbes

13:34 Why Serotonin Was the Wrong Target, and What Replaces It

19:07 30 Plants a Week, Gut Health and Dementia Risk

23:40 The Best Fermented Foods (and Is Cheese Good for You?)

30:32 Ultra-Processed Food, Diet Coke and What to Ignore on a Label

39:31 Protein vs Fiber: Why Chasing Protein Can Backfire

40:31 Diet, HRT and Exercise: What Each Does to Your Microbiome

45:39 Organic Food, Pesticides and What Actually Matters

48:48 His 3 Gut Changes to Start and 3 Things to Stop

VALUABLE RESOURCES

- Follow Prof. Tim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.spector/

- Want to see what your gut microbes are doing? Try ZOE’s app and gut test: https://zoe.com/

- Explore Prof. Tim’s books, research and latest work: https://www.tim-spector.com/

- Prof. Tim’s new book has over 100 recipes, packed with plants and ferments, designed to lift your mood: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Mood-Food-friendly-bestselling/dp/1787336476

ABOUT THE GUEST

Tim Spector, MD, is Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of ZOE, the nutrition science company leading the gut health revolution. He is the bestselling author of The Diet Myth, Spoon-Fed, Food for Life, Food for Life Cookbook and Ferment. With a focus on cutting-edge science, and honoured with an OBE for his impactful work in fighting Covid-19, Tim stands at the forefront of his field. The original pioneer of microbiome research, he is among the top 100 most-cited scientists in the world.

Can HRT actually help women in midlife build muscle and reduce visceral fat — or is lifestyle still doing most of the heavy lifting? In this conversation, Dr. Federica Amati explains what her research found, where HRT may be helpful, and why it should be seen as one tool rather than the main driver of body composition.

She also explains why building muscle, eating well, moving regularly and protecting sleep before menopause can create a valuable buffer for later life. And for women already well into menopause, her message is equally important: meaningful change is still possible, but the fundamentals need to be built consistently into everyday life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

HRT Is Not a Muscle-Building Shortcut — Dr. Amati says HRT alone will not increase muscle mass or reduce visceral fat.

HRT May Still Help Indirectly — Better symptom control and sleep can give women more energy to exercise and move regularly.

Lifestyle Remains the Biggest Driver — Exercise, nutrition, sleep and daily movement have a greater impact on muscle, bone and visceral fat.

Build Muscle Before Menopause If You Can — Going into menopause with more muscle and strong habits gives you a better starting point.

It Is Never Too Late — Women who are years into menopause can still transform their health.

Want to go deeper? Start here:

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

🌸Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days.

👉 https://www.highperformance-health.com

💌 Fresh Start Sunday Newsletter

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🥗The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women -

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⚡️ 10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause -

👉 https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

About Me:

Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method. Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.

The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.

If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:

Instagram: @angelasfoster

Facebook: @AngelaFosterPerformance

Dr. Alyssa Olenick on why cardio doesn't cause belly fat, what fasted training really does for fat loss, and how women in midlife should balance lifting, cardio and carbs.

Exercise physiologist and women's fitness researcher Dr. Alyssa Olenick breaks down the most common training myths aimed at women in midlife. She explains why the cortisol released during exercise is a fuel signal rather than a fat-storage trigger, why the extra fat burned in a fasted session adds up to grams rather than real fat loss, and why fat oxidation drops as estrogen declines in menopause. She also shares how to split 150 minutes of cardio between easy and hard sessions, why cutting volume rather than intensity helps recovery in perimenopause, and how much protein and carbohydrate active women actually need.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why adding cardio reduces, rather than increases, body fat in midlife women

- The difference between fat burning and fat loss, and why fasted workouts only shift a few grams

- How to fit one or two harder sessions into a busy week and fill the rest with easy movement

- Why Dr. Olenick would rather you do two hard sets than five easy ones when recovery gets tougher

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro: Why Cardio Isn't Making Women Gain Belly Fat

05:41 - Cortisol, Fasted Training and the Best Time of Day to Work Out

10:42 - Fat Burning vs Fat Loss, Metabolic Flexibility and Refueling After Training

20:54 - Menopause, Fat Oxidation and What HRT Can and Can't Do

24:49 - How to Split 150 Minutes of Cardio Between Easy and Hard Sessions

31:37 - Programming Lifting and HIIT for Recovery: Less Volume, More Intensity

42:54 - Protein, Carbs and a Simple Plan to Start Lifting

52:16 - The Supplements Dr. Olenick Actually Takes

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Train With Alyssa: https://www.thelyssmethod.com/

Follow Alyssa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doclyssfitness/

Subscribe on her YouTubechannel: https://www.youtube.com/@doclyssfitness

Listen to her Podcast: https://doclyssfitness.com/podcast/

Learn more at https://doclyssfitness.com/

A BIG thank you to our sponsor who makes the show possible:

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD in Exercise Physiology, specializes in Exercise Science, Metabolism, and Female Physiology, bringing real, research-backed fitness insights to the everyday person looking to train smarter. Known for bridging the gap between strength and endurance, she helps people crush big fitness goals, get healthier, and have fun doing it. All while cutting through the noise of misinformation on how to train, recover, and feel your best.

How much protein do you really need to build muscle — and do women in perimenopause or menopause need more? In this conversation, Eric Helms breaks down the evidence behind some of the most common protein recommendations, including the widely quoted 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, when higher intakes may be useful, and why your starting point matters more than obsessing over a supposedly perfect number.

Eric also explains how protein needs change when you’re dieting and trying to preserve lean mass, why resistance training matters far more than squeezing out the last few percentage points from protein intake, and whether women really need 30–50 grams of protein at every meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1.6 g/kg Is a Strong Target — For most people trying to build muscle, around 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a very reasonable daily target.

More Isn’t Always Better — Benefits continue to diminish as protein intake gets higher.

Dieting Changes Your Needs — When in a calorie deficit, moving closer to 2 g/kg may help preserve muscle mass.

Your Starting Point Matters — Moving from a low protein intake to a moderate one may produce a bigger benefit than pushing an already high intake even higher.

Training Comes First — Progressive, intense resistance training is more important for building muscle than maximising protein intake.

Per-Meal Protein Is Often Overcomplicated — Daily protein intake and distributing it across at least three meals matters more than chasing an exact dose at every sitting.

30–40 g Per Meal Can Work Well — If your daily protein target is around 120 grams, splitting it relatively evenly across three meals is a practical approach.

Want to go deeper? Start here:Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it. https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

Reset your hormones, restore your energy, and reconnect with your body in just 21 days. https://www.highperformance-health.com

Fresh Start Sunday NewsletterYour weekly 3-minute guide to creating the healthiest, most vibrant version of you.Each Sunday, get one simple habit to boost energy, balance hormones, and enhance longevity - joined by 25,000+ women worldwide. https://angelafosterperformance.com/

The Ultimate Guide to Creatine for Women - https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/creatine-guide️

10 Habits that Helped me reverse my Biological Age by 25 years in Perimenopause - https://academy.angelafosterperformance.com/10-habits-optin-page

About Me:Angela Foster is a corporate lawyer turned health and performance coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the BioSyncing:registered: Method.

Host of the High Performance Health Podcast with 500+ episodes featuring world-leading experts in longevity, hormones, neuroscience, and female performance science.

The most accomplished women have everything handled on the outside, but their hormones, energy, and nervous system are quietly paying the price.The old playbook stops working in midlife.

This channel is designed to help high-performing women optimise energy, hormones, cognitive performance, and longevity using science-backed strategies built around female biology.

Angela’s personal mission is to help 1 million ambitious women perform better, age slower, and never have to choose between success and their health.If you want to be part of that mission, make sure you subscribe and share the channel with a woman you care about.

Follow me for daily health and performance tips:Instagram: @angelasfosterFacebook: @AngelaFosterPerformance

This episode is brought to you by Solaray

Solaray, is an eight-product longevity supplement system created to support cellular energy, muscle health, healthy ageing*.

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Dr. Kien Vuu and I talk about cellular energy, estrogen, NAD+ and spermidine in midlife, and how to build more energy today while staying strong and sharp at 80.

Physician and Thrive State author Dr. Kien Vuu breaks down the three parts of one energy system behind midlife fatigue: mitochondria, insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility. He explains why falling estrogen hits mitochondrial efficiency, glucose metabolism, muscle and bone at the same moment life demand peaks, why fasting glucose and HbA1c move late, and how he sorts longevity compounds into mapped, emerging and frontier science before deciding whether glutathione, NAD or spermidine earn a place on top of the foundations.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why the felt sense of low energy shows up long before fasting glucose or HbA1c move

- What falling estrogen does to mitochondrial efficiency, glucose metabolism and muscle mass at the exact moment life demand peaks

- How to sort any longevity compound into mapped, emerging or frontier science before you spend a penny

- The four questions Dr. Vuu asks before adding a supplement, and why he says you have to earn it first

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Why the felt sense of low energy shows up long before fasting glucose or HbA1c move

- What falling estrogen does to mitochondrial efficiency, glucose metabolism and muscle mass at the exact moment life demand peaks

- How to sort any longevity compound into mapped, emerging or frontier science before you spend a penny

- The four questions Dr. Vuu asks before adding a supplement, and why he says you have to earn it first

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro: Why Your Energy Drops in Midlife Before Anything Shows on a Blood Test

10:02 - Perimenopause, Estrogen and What Changes at the Cellular Level After 40

16:25 - Epigenetics, the Five Foundations, and How to Judge a Longevity Supplement

25:51 - Glutathione, NAD, NADH and NMN for Oxidative Stress and Cellular Energy

35:09 - Spermidine, Autophagy and the Senescent Cell Frontier

43:04 - Where a Busy Woman in Midlife Should Actually Start

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Dr. Kien Vuu’s website https://kienvuu.com/

Thrive State (Dr. Kien's book), free PDF: https://thrivestatestarter.com

Follow Dr. Kien Vuu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctorvmd

Listen to Dr. Kien Vuu’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/thrive-state-podcast/id1548233524

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Kien Vuu is a physician, human performance and longevity expert, and the author of Thrive State. He hosts the Thrive State podcast and is a brand partner and advisor to Solaray. A former chief of interventional radiology, he burnt out in his mid-30s and developed type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. That experience drives his mission to help people build energy and longevity through five pillars of health: physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual.