Ep. 178 - Chef Mareya shares her Recipe for Midlife Wellness and Strength

Chef Mareya Ibrahim (also known as Chef Mareya, 'The Fit Foodie') is a chef, holistic nutritionist, brain health coach, author, and inventor. She hosts The Real Dish podcast and wrote Eat Like You Give a Fork. She also created Fit and Fab Over 40, Meal Prep Club, and Eat to Thrive programs, and was a signature chef for The Daniel Plan. In this conversation, you will hear: Chef Mareya shares her inspiring personal journey of healing from severe injuries like a tibial fracture, torn ACL, and meniscus without surgery in her 50s. She overcame intense anxiety and heart palpitations, discovering they were linked to a magnesium deficiency. The conversation highlights a crucial shift in mindset towards health in midlife: moving from exercising and eating for thinness to focusing on strength and functional fitness. Chef Mareya emphasises prioritising protein, colourful produce, and healthy fats, viewing food as information for cells rather than just calories. She started competitive bodybuilding in her 50s to build muscle, which also helped her recover from injury. She shares the importance of specific supplements like magnesium for heart regulation and anxiety, vitamin C for collagen production and wound healing, and B vitamins for stress management. Lifestyle factors such as managing stress, ensuring good sleep, and limiting alcohol and caffeine are also vital for midlife women's health. The discussion encourages self-advocacy in healthcare, as women may need to become detectives of their own health to find answers their doctors might not provide. Chef Mareya Ibrahim, through her personal story and extensive expertise, offers a powerful message of hope and empowerment for midlife women, demonstrating that it's never too late to achieve functional fitness and optimal health. You can find out more about Chef Mareya at her website, chefmareya.com , and on social media at @chefmareya. Thank you to our sponsors for this episode: ☀️Struggling with energy, mood, or brain fog? It could be poor nutrient absorption — and midlife makes it harder than ever. But LivOn Labs has your back with their Lypo-Spheric® supplements. Using liposome encapsulation technology, these nutrients get straight to your cells where they're needed most. Think Vitamin C for immune support, B Complex Plus for mood and metabolism, and Magnesium L-threonate to fuel your brain. Want in? Head to LivOnLabs.com/Lovely and grab the Midlife Bundle for $56 off. Your cells will thank you! 🥬Have you tried AG1? Please visit our product partner page: drinkAG1.com/fionalovely for the BEST all-in-one nutritional supplement out there (and where podcast subscribers get cool free stuff!) ______ Dr. Fiona Lovely is a longevity, health and wellness expert with specialties in menopause medicine, functional neurology and functional medicine. She is speaking to the topics of women's health around perimenopause and menopause. How to work with Dr. Lovely: We get many requests for this info, so here it is! First off, thank you for listening to the NYMM podcast. It's because of your support, we can continue to dispense this information.❤️ For the NYMM store, where Dr. Lovely has stacked her favourite supplements, labs and lifestyle products, go here: Not Your Mother's Menopause Podcast Store Follow Dr. Lovely on IG and TikTok : @drfionalovely Follow the podcast on Facebook: www.facebook.com/@notyourmothersmenopausepodcast There are resources available on our website: www.drlovely.com Please sign up for our newsletter - Fiona's Friday Favourites! This is where we make the first announcements, share course offerings, drop new episodes, blog posts and the coveted 'Fiona's Favourites' column, etc. drlovely.com Finally, a humble request: If you love the podcast, please leave us a review! It helps more people find useful info for a challenging time: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/not-your-mothers-menopause-with-dr-fiona-lovely/id1097326296 Please scroll to the bottom of the page to leave a review. Thank you! 💕🤗 Partnerships by Category3 Media Group