Podcast | Habits
Episode 9| May 31, 2023

How to become your own Health Advocate w/ Sydney Torres

Your Lab Work Came Back “Normal.” You Still Feel Awful. That Is Not Normal.

How many times have you gone to the doctor, described what is wrong, and been told your lab work is normal?

And you walk out still feeling horrible.

Functional health coach Sydney Torres says that is not normal, and it is not in your head.

She wants you to become your own health advocate.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, functional health coach Sydney Torres shares simple ways to listen to your body, why a seven-day food journal can be a turning point, and how to start reading your own lab work.

Small steps, starting with what you put on your plate.

If you have felt dismissed about your own health, this one is for you.

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“Nobody else is going to care about your health like you do.”

– Sydney Torres

Fast Skim & Timestamps

0:00 Meet Sydney: Your Own Health Advocate
1:09 Nobody Cares About Your Health Like You Do
2:00 Start With Body Awareness
4:15 The Food Journal That Changed Everything
5:53 The Farmers Market and Eating the Rainbow
8:26 Food and Mood: Moringa and Fruit
13:39 Learn to Read Your Own Lab Work
18:00 Find a Doctor Who Empowers You

Key Takeaways

No one will care about your health the way you do. Advocacy starts with you.
Body awareness is the foundation. Notice which foods give you energy and which drain you.
A seven-day food journal reveals the links between what you eat and how you feel.
We are bio-individual. The food that energizes one person may not energize another.
Learn the basics of your own lab work. You do not have to be an expert to be informed.
If a doctor dismisses you, it is okay to find one who empowers you.

Three Petite Practice® Questions

1. Which foods give me energy, and which leave me wanting to be a couch potato?

2. What would a seven-day food journal show me about my own patterns?

3. Where have I accepted “normal” when my body is telling me something is off?

Transcript Chapters

0:00 Meet Sydney: Your Own Health Advocate

[00:00:25] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Sydney Torres is a certified functional health coach. She helps women balance their hormones naturally so they can live life on their own terms. [00:00:39] Sydney Torres: Thank you for having me. I am so excited to be here and to chat with you.

1:09 Nobody Cares About Your Health Like You Do

[00:01:09] Sydney Torres: We have to become our own health advocates, because in this day and age, nobody else is going to care about your health like you do. How many times have you gone to the doctor, mentioned a complaint, and been blown off, or told your lab work is normal, yet you still know something is not right because you feel horrible?

2:00 Start With Body Awareness

[00:02:00] Sydney Torres: A good starting place is learning more about your own body, having that body awareness, seeing what foods make you feel good and what foods make you feel bad. What we put in our mouth either pushes us toward health or toward a diseased state. The more you connect with your body, the more you learn what it needs, and it can vary day by day, especially for women moving through their cycle.

4:15 The Food Journal That Changed Everything

[00:04:15] Sydney Torres: Keep a food journal for at least seven days. I used to resist it, I thought it would be too time-consuming. But when I was going through my own health challenge with my gut and hormones, I got to a place where I could not eat anything, and it forced me to write down what I ate. It was a blessing in disguise, because I could finally make connections between what I was eating and how I felt physically and mentally. Then I switched out the foods that made me feel bad and added in the good ones.

5:53 The Farmers Market and Eating the Rainbow

[00:05:53] Sydney Torres: I started going to the farmers market in my neighborhood, supporting local farmers, and the produce was good. The cool thing is they will often let you sample the food, so ask before you buy. Push yourself outside your comfort zone to try new foods and experiences. When you have an open mind, so much good comes out of it, and you get to eat more of the rainbow, more diversity for you and your family.

8:26 Food and Mood: Moringa and Fruit

[00:08:26] Sydney Torres: We are all bio-individual, so the food that boosts me may not boost you. This is a good opportunity to play around and find the collection of foods that increase your energy. I love smoothies, and I put moringa powder in mine. It is loaded with iron, magnesium, and a little potassium, and it gives me energy, since I am not a coffee drinker. I also love fresh fruit, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. The fruits boost me up more than anything else.

13:39 Learn to Read Your Own Lab Work

[00:13:39] Sydney Torres: Along with being your own advocate, learn to read your own blood lab work. I am not saying be an expert, just know the basics. If a doctor says your lab work is normal but you still have symptoms, that is not normal, something is causing that downstream effect, and it is about getting to the root cause. Request a copy or use your patient portal, and learn a few markers, like your white blood count or a basic thyroid panel, your TSH, free T4, free T3, thyroid antibodies, and reverse T3. Then you can become your own health detective.

18:00 Find a Doctor Who Empowers You

[00:18:00] Sydney Torres: If your doctor is resistant and does not want to help you, that is a great time to find a new doctor. Our doctors should empower us, nurture our bodies, and if we are on medication, help us get off of it rather than only adding more. [00:19:38] Sydney Torres: The best way to reach me is email, info@balancehealthnow.com, and my website is balancehealthnowbhc.com. Do not be afraid to start, because starting is the hardest part, and once you do, the momentum builds. [00:21:44] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Thank you so much for being here, Sydney.

Meet My Guest

Sydney Torres

Certified Functional Health Coach, Balance Health Now

Sydney Torres is a certified functional health coach who helps women balance their hormones naturally and live life on their own terms. Drawing on her own health journey, she teaches body awareness, food-and-mood connections, and how to advocate for yourself in the doctor’s office.

She runs the virtual clinic Balance Health Now and hosts her own podcast. Reach her at info@balancehealthnow.com or at balancehealthnowbhc.com.

Meet Your Host

Dr. Christiane Schroeter

TEDx Speaker & Leadership Strategist

I’m Dr. Christiane Schroeter, TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, and host of the Top 1% ranked Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast. I help leaders think clearly, speak with conviction, and take the next step during change.

About Dr. Christiane

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