Welcome to Insight into Health, my new radio show on listener-supported KSVY 91.3, voices of the valley! I am your host, Allison McKeany, and these are the show notes for the live radio show that aired on September 22, 2025.
Segment 1: Beyond the What
Defining what “health” actually means can better inform your actions
My definition of health is inspired by Peter Attia, MD,1 and includes:
Functional Health: How does your body move? How does your body feel? Can you do the things you want to be doing? What do you want your body to be able to do in the future?
Physical Health: Being aware of your risk for health conditions that might prevent you from living a long and fulfilling life, and working to prevent and/or manage them.
Cognitive Health: how well you can think, learn, and remember. Over the last decade, we have come to realize just how much nutrition, exercise, sleep, and outlook affect cognitive health.
Emotional Health: How do you feel most of the time? We all have ups and downs, and accepting them is important. Finding ways to increase the positive things in your life goes a long way towards enjoying this one precious life that we get.
Each one of these factors is interconnected, meaning that each influences the others, for better or worse
Each area of health is influenced by the choices you make every day:
Fuel/Nutrition, Fitness/Exercise, Sleep, and Connection (with yourself & others)
These daily choices are also interconnected, meaning a modification to one can have a domino effect on the others (hence, the logo above)
Example: Cortisol, often labeled the “stress hormone”
But cortisol isn’t just about stress. It’s a key part of how your body survives—and thrives—when it’s in balance, that is.
Cortisol is a hormone made by your adrenal glands, sitting on top of your kidneys, and is produced to help your body respond to stress.
If our ancestors were being chased by a wild animal—or had to go days without food—cortisol helped keep them alive by conserving energy, raising blood sugar (fuel), and keeping them alert. A necessary tool for survival!
But today, chronic stress about finances, work, traffic, news, and more stimulates the cortisol response because our brains can’t always tell the difference between a life-threatening emergency and a stressful email.
When cortisol stays high for too long, it may cause you to feel tired but wired, anxious and irritable, prone to weight gain, more likely to get sick, and unable to get restful sleep.
The good news is that understanding what drives cortisol up and what brings it back down can have a dramatic effect on how you feel and live.
Cortisol increases with mental & emotional stress, poor sleep, skipping meals, excessive use of caffeine and stimulants, and even constant notifications.
When your body feels safe, rested, and nourished, cortisol levels decrease. Paying attention to everyday choices, such as how you feed yourself, move, sleep, and feel, can influence the action of cortisol as well as your overall health.
Segment 2: Let’s Talk
I was joined by my dear friend, TJ Carter, whose many talents include a lifetime of tap dancing. Before the show, I attended the first beginning adult tap class at the Sonoma Community Center and had so much fun, many laughs, and will definitely be back next Monday at 5:45 pm!
Segment 3: Here’s what I’m… listening to
I devour books and podcasts like they are going out of style. I shared segments from the How to Eat to Save the Planet podcast, titled “Food Waste - A Failure of the Imagination.”
This episode resonated with my desire to use up every last bit of food, whether it be by taking others’ leftovers home, saving that last poor cauliflower floret, or turning carrot greens into pesto.
I shared my disdain for official recipes and instead introduced the idea of the Mix & Match Recipe: learn a technique, use the ingredients you have on hand, and away you go!
Here are the ones that were mentioned:
Finally, I plugged the Sonoma Valley “Gleaners” as part of Extra Food’s Share the Bounty program. I volunteer as a gleaner with them to harvest local produce that would otherwise go to waste and distribute it to those in need in our community. Consider checking it out if you are interested in donating produce or joining me on the glean team!
See you next Monday at 7 pm on KSVY Radio, 91.3.
Remember, you can always get in touch with me at insightintohealth@gmail.com.
~Allison McKeany, MS, RD