TODAY'S AJENDA #96

On New Year’s Eve, I shared on Instagram that I was starting a 30-Day No Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Experiment. (Chances are, many of you reading this are doing it with me!). 

For the past two weeks, I haven’t counted a single calorie or stepped on a scale. I haven’t tracked macros or worn a glucose monitor or sworn off carbs. I just did one thing: I stopped eating UPFs.

Not “mostly.” Not “on weekdays.” Completely. As much as humanly possible. And what surprised me wasn’t what I lost, but what I gained. Here’s what I observed: 

Observation 1) I Had More “Clean” Energy

I’m not talking about the jittery caffeine-induced buzz that has you slumped by 3 PM. This was different. My brain felt clearer. My body felt steadier. And I was less zapped at the end of the day.

My theory? When you remove UPFs, your body stops wasting energy trying to metabolize substances it doesn’t recognize as food, such as emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, flavor enhancers, and stabilizers. 

These additives are not neutral passengers. They require immune surveillance and are metabolically expensive. When that burden is lifted, energy can be redirected to processes such as muscle repair, hormone regulation, and brain function. I found myself getting into bed at night just because it was my bedtime, not because I was exhausted. 

Observation 2) My Digestion Changed

I noticed slightly fewer bowel movements. Not constipation. No bloating. No discomfort. Just…less urgency. (Sorry if that’s TMI!) This sounds trivial, but it’s actually fascinating. 

UPFs are “pre-digested.” They’re industrially stripped of fiber and structure, so they melt in your mouth, which tricks your brain into eating more. This is great for the company’s bottom line, but it turns your gut into a high-speed conveyor belt. (Read: more pooping, in general.)

Whole foods are intact. They engage in chewing, stomach acid, and digestive enzymes. When food is real, the body doesn’t rush to expel it, and it extracts nutrients more thoroughly.  

Which brings me to the third and perhaps most striking change:  

Observation 3) My Appetite Went Down

My appetite dropped, but not in a suppressed or deprived way. I just wasn’t constantly thinking about food. My meals felt satisfying, and then I moved on with my life.

• The Why: UPFs are designed to break your “fullness” switch. They combine sugar, fat, and salt in a ratio that doesn't exist in nature. This mix confuses the brain and dulls leptin signaling (your brain’s “I’m full” hormone). 

When you switch to whole foods, your brain recalibrates. The satiety signals get louder, and your hunger cues become more accurate. You stop eating because you’re satisfied, not because the bag is empty.

Observation 4) I Lost About a Pound 

Honestly, I hesitate to mention this because weight loss is not the headline here. But it is worth noting. When appetite regulation improves and metabolic efficiency increases, body weight often follows. 

This experiment was not to “cleanse” or “detox.” (I actually dislike those terms as I find them built on hype and pseudoscience.) Your liver and kidneys already handle detoxification just fine. 

This was simply about removing “food” that was never meant to be a daily input. I wanted to see what happened when I gave my body fuel it actually recognized. 

What I’m Taking Away From This

The goal here isn’t perfection. There have been times when I don’t really have an option. If faced with starving or eating something awful, I’ll reach for my favorite protein bar. But absent those situations, I plan to continue to minimize eating UPFs.

Remember, UPFs don’t just add empty calories. They demand energy, disrupt signals, and create noise in systems that work best when we have “nutritional clarity.” 

But when that noise is gone? The body does what it’s designed to do. And that system is incredibly powerful. 

Bottom line: sometimes, the most powerful experiment isn’t adding something new. It’s taking something out and paying attention.

For almost 20 years, I’ve told people some version of this: “After menopause, the best we can usually do is slow the loss of bone density.”

In many cases, that’s true. But I just learned that it’s also incomplete.

I recently had a DEXA Scan (a test that measures bone strength) on the exact same machine as my scan from one year ago. The result? My bone mineral density (BMD) increased by 2.4%. (By the way, the recommendation for a woman with normal BMD is to repeat a DEXA in 2 or more years, not 1 year as I did.)

This wasn’t a rounding error or a fluke. It was the same equipment. The result was so clear it forced me to say out loud: Jen, I cannot believe my eyes. Sit down. Your skeleton has notes.

Building Bone After Menopause 

What happened here? Let me walk you through what the research says and then what I believe made the difference for me. 

First, a reality check. Increasing BMD after 50 is hard. It requires consistent effort and the right interventions. But it’s not some mythical outcome. Research shows two main things move the needle: 

1. Hormone Therapy (HRT): In peer-reviewed trials, menopausal hormone therapy has been shown to preserve and increase BMD and reduce fracture risk compared with placebo. 

2. Heavy Lifting: Resistance training (lifting heavier weights over time) shows measurable benefit for BMD in postmenopausal women. 

The punchline from more recent reviews is what many of us see clinically: the combination of an estrogen-supportive hormonal environment plus structured loading is generally more effective than either alone. 

That said? Here are the details on what I’ve done that likely contributed to increasing my bone mineral density: 

1) HRT (five years and counting).

I’ve been on HRT for five years. Estrogen has a documented role in bone remodeling, and randomized trials have shown BMD benefits with hormone therapy.  

2) Heavy resistance training. 

Not “cute little 3-pound weights.” I’m talking progressive overload: lifting heavy enough that my body has to adapt. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that for the past 18 months I’ve been doing exactly that with professional trainer Korey Rowe. It’s why I’m stronger today at 56 than I was at 36. And my scan shows that his training approach, and my Wellness Experiment pays dividends in truly significant ways.

This isn’t just anecdotal. Research shows that resistance training is a powerful lever for increasing BMD in postmenopausal women. 

It is true that my bones were good before I started training with Korey. In fact, my bone mineral density was in the normal range (not even osteopenia) because I’ve been lifting weights since high school. 

This is your reminder that the window of adolescence and early 20’s is key for preventing osteopenia or osteoporosis 30-40 years later! So if you know a teenage girl or young woman in her 20’s, pay it forward and share this key bone-sparing info with her!

3) Getting ~1,200 mg/day of calcium from food.

I’ve been militant about getting 1,200 mg of calcium from food (not supplements) every day. The data is clear: calcium in supplement form is not a reliable fracture-prevention strategy for most postmenopausal women. 

• Science Says: A 2015 review found that the evidence that calcium supplements prevent fractures is “weak and inconsistent.” 

That doesn’t mean calcium doesn’t matter. It means how you get it matters, and food-first is usually the cleanest approach. 

Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 are part of this, too. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and bone metabolism. Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) has suggested benefits for lumbar spine BMD and fracture outcomes in postmenopausal women. 

The One Thing I Want You To Hear

Do not wait until you’re 65 to start thinking about your bones.

While the USPSTF recommends routine osteoporosis screening with DXA starting at age 65 for most women, I have never followed these recommendations. 

Why? Because I was trained to get a baseline DEXA when menopause starts. And in my medical career, I’ve seen numerous cases of osteoporosis in women aged 50. I subscribe to the philosophy of: I would rather catch something sooner rather than later, and since we ALL lose bone density as we age, I would rather know about it at 50 rather than 65!

I encourage you to be aggressive about asking your health care provider or doctor about getting a DEXA scan when you go through menopause or at least before age 65.  

The good news? Your skeleton is a living tissue that can respond to the right inputs. This experience reminded me of exactly why I love medicine and being a physician: the body can do miraculous things!

The brain fog in midlife is real. Between hormonal shifts, poor sleep, and stress, our cognitive clarity tends to stretch thin after 50. 

I’ve been asked countless times what helps with this. Is there something that can clear the cobwebs that isn’t a stimulant? That question is what drew me to Alice Mushrooms* about three years ago. 

I met the founders, Lindsay Goodstein and Charlotte Cruze, at an event. They’d just created Brainstorm, a functional mushroom chocolate (not psychedelic!) designed to enhance focus and energy. 

I was skeptical but curious. Mushrooms for brain clarity? As with anything, I had to try it myself. Today, I have Alice Brainstorm almost every day, usually in the afternoon when I need mental sharpness or a low calorie boost. 

Here’s what makes Brainstorm stand out: 

• 🍄 These are not psychedelic mushrooms. No psilocybin, no hallucinogens.  No tripping. These are functional mushrooms (think food and nutritional science)  formulated to energize your brain. 

• 🍄 They’re not ultra-processed. Brainstorm is built around whole-food mushroom extracts and botanicals with minimal processing. The body recognizes these inputs as nutrients, not chemical fillers.

• 🍄 The star ingredient is lion’s mane. Research has shown that lion’s mane stimulates nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein involved in learning and memory. In plain terms, this supports brain cell communication and adaptability. 

• 🍄 They have botanicals for stress resilience and neurotransmitter balance. Instead of forcing your brain into overdrive with stimulants (and the inevitable crash and appetite disruption), Brainstorm helps to support clarity by contributing to reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

This is where I need to be transparent: I’m not just recommending Brainstorm. I’m Alice Mushroom’s medical and nutritional advisor, as well as an investor. 

I invested because Brainstorm aligns with how I think about nutrition: to respect physiology, prioritize real and high quality ingredients, and support the system with nutrients. It’s one of the few supplements I stand behind. 

If you’re curious about supporting your physical and mental energy from a square of dark chocolate, use the code AJENDA for 15% off your order.

Ever stepped on a “smart” scale and watched your body fat percentage jump around like the stock market? I’ve been there. There’s so much happening inside our bodies, from where fat is stored to how much muscle we have to bone strength. It’s never just a number on a scale. 

And menopause makes it that much harder to track. More central fat, less total body water, and gradual muscle loss if you’re not strength training.

Fortunately, a bathroom scale isn’t the only option. I am asked all the time if these various body composition devices are “worth it.” Let’s go through the major body comp test methods.

1) Bathroom “body fat” scales (single-frequency BIA)

This is the scale you probably already have in your bathroom. They use bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA): a small current travels through your body, and the device estimates fat mass vs lean mass based largely on how water conducts electricity. 

Sounds simple. The problem is that almost everything affects water. 

Had a glass of wine last night? Different reading. Went for a run this morning? Different reading. Ate salty food, took a hot shower, or flew across the country? All different readings. And after 50, the margin of error gets wider:  

• Zoom In: Menopause shifts where we store fat and how much water our bodies hold, which means these scales can be even less reliable than they were in our 30s. 

Research shows that while BIA scales can track trends, they often diverge from the gold-standard DEXA scan and have meaningful individual-level error and bias. 

• Pros: cheap, easy, great for trend tracking if you standardize conditions 

• Cons: not “precise”; day-to-day numbers are often more drama than data 

• Cost: $30–$200  

2) Gym/clinic segmental, multi-frequency BIA (InBody-style)

These are the machines you've seen at your gym or doctor's office, where you stand barefoot on metal plates and grip handles while it does its thing (e.g., the InBody Machine). 

Unlike the scale at home, these devices measure electrical impedance across different body segments (arms, legs, trunk) and different body components (bone, fat, muscle, water) and use multiple frequencies.

They’re generally better than bathroom scales, and in older adults, some models show improved agreement with DXA (still not perfect). 

• Pros: fast, repeatable, useful for tracking muscle distribution over time 

• Cons: still hydration-sensitive, still an estimate 

• Cost: often $10–$40 per scan in gyms or wellness settings. The machine itself runs over $6000. 

3) DEXA body composition

DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) is the “gold standard.” It measures bone, lean mass, and fat mass with high precision. Lost two pounds? DEXA tells you whether it was muscle or fat. Strength training for six months? DEXA shows whether your bones have strengthened. 

It’s not perfect (different machines and software can vary), but if you use the same machine, it’s excellent for tracking change.

• Pros: best balance of accuracy + practicality; also gives bone data

• Cons: cost and access; low-dose radiation. Also, many technicians flat out refuse to run this (generally because they may not be aware that it can easily be done while testing bone density and it’s just easier for them to say ‘no.’)

• Cost: roughly $40–$300+ cash-pay depending on setting 

4) Bod Pod (air displacement plethysmography)

This “egg-shaped” chamber estimates body fat based on body volume and density. It looks futuristic, feels a little claustrophobic, and…isn’t as accurate as you’d hope. 

Research shows the Bod Pod can over- or underestimate compared to DEXA, with bias depending on your body size and shape.  

• Pros: quick, noninvasive 

• Cons: results can differ from DXA; sensitive to protocol and clothing 

• Typical cost: $30–$100 

5) Skinfold calipers

The old school pinch test. A technician uses calipers to measure fat at specific spots on your body, plugs those numbers into an equation, and estimates your body fat percentage. 

Can it work? Sometimes. But accuracy depends heavily on the measurer and the equation. In older adults, certain equations perform better than others, and some are simply unreliable. 

• Pros: inexpensive, portable

• Cons: technician-dependent; less accurate with age-related fat redistribution 

• Typical cost: ~$20–$75 for an assessment 

My North Star Takeaway

Don’t obsess over a single number on your bathroom scale. Use it for trends only, under the same conditions, and focus on what moves the needle: strength, protein, sleep, and mobility. 

And if you want hard data? Go with DEXA. (Or if that's not accessible, find a multi-frequency BIA machine and use the same one every time.) That's how you build your own dataset and use it to make smarter decisions about your health.

The number is just information. What you do with it is what counts.

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ABOUT DR. JEN

In her former roles as chief medical correspondent for ABC News and on-air cohost of “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” Dr. Jennifer Ashton—”Dr. Jen”—has shared the latest health news and information with millions of viewers nationwide. As an OB-GYN, nutritionist, and board-certified obesity medicine specialist, she is passionate about promoting optimal health for “the whole woman.” She has authored several books, including the national best-seller, The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier & Fitter—One Month at a Time. And she has gone through menopause…

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