Naked Beauty with Brooke DeVard
Episode: How To Feed Yourself (Properly) When You Have Way Too Much Going On
Air Date: March 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this candid and practical episode, host Brooke DeVard is joined by her friend Erica (a multihyphenate with culinary school experience, author, doula, and more) to discuss the realities and strategies of maintaining good nutrition under the pressure of a busy, high-stress, multi-job lifestyle. With both women balancing multiple responsibilities, their conversation dives into how planning, prepping, and embracing simplicity can support health, focusing especially on protein, inflammation, lab work, and making food choices that are sustainable, satisfying, and non-performative.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Nutrition Struggle is Real (02:00–06:45)

• Brooke shares her ongoing battle with fitting nutrition into her day, having juggled her podcast, a major editorial role, and motherhood—plus managing Graves Disease and the resulting dietary restrictions.
  • “I feel like there are just simply not enough hours in the day to get done everything that I want to do. And one of the things that I have found has been really suffering is my nutrition, honestly.” (04:30)
• She details adjustments: cutting sugar and processed foods, incorporating kimchi, rotisserie chicken, nuts for protein, and getting creative with protein-rich snacks (e.g., her whipped ricotta + berries "better than ice cream" treat).
• This episode is all about real-life, non-perfectionist solutions for day-to-day nourishment.

Embracing “Nutritional Redundancy” (09:32–12:10)

• Erica introduces the concept of “nutritional redundancy”—embracing repetition for ease:
  • “A big part of that is just surrendering to a little bit of a routine or being comfortable with what I like to call nutritional redundancy … just doing the thing over and over again.” (09:47)
• Both recall the American obsession with variety and contrast it to most global norms, where meals tend to look the same day-to-day.
• Routine reduces the “cognitive load” of planning meals from scratch every day, making good choices much easier.

Protein for Women’s Health (12:11–15:09)

• They emphasize the importance of starting the day with protein, particularly for women.
• Erica: “When you start the day off with a decent amount of protein, let's say 20 to 30 grams, it's going to help with managing your blood sugar so you're not spiking and then being pushed into wanting to eat other things that are probably not as good for you.” (12:35)
• Discusses how carbs have traditionally dominated American diets, but a protein-forward breakfast leads to greater satiety, hormone support, and blood sugar balance.

Morning Routines: Making Protein Work for You (15:09–20:41)

• Erica prefers savory breakfasts (boiled eggs with pesto, protein shakes with nut butters, bone broth, even steak), staying away from high-glycemic foods like cereal or oats.
• For those less hungry in the morning, bone broth or protein shakes are suggested as easier, lighter options.
• “If you're not someone that's waking up feeling really hungry... having bone broth or something like it would be, you know, or pho, anything like that would be good.” (19:20)

Quick and Realistic Lunches for Busy People (20:41–24:11)

• Brooke expresses the common struggle—wanting to meal prep, but not actually doing it.
• Erica shares tactics:
  • Batch-prep foods on weekends (stews, soups, beans, greens)
  • Keep “really, really good tin fish or tuna” on hand for nutrient-dense salads or quick nicoise-style lunches.
  • “Sometimes when I'm really lazy, I will actually just do tuna and an egg and put the vinaigrette on top of it and just eat that.” (22:47)
• “Tinned seafood in general is having a huge renaissance,” Brooke adds, highlighting brands, the SMASH fish acronym (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring), and the benefits for brain health and inflammation. (23:04–24:11)

Boosting Meals: Add-Ons and “Slip Ins” (24:11–26:21)

• While chia seeds are trendy, Erica recommends pumpkin seeds for protein, fiber, and less mess.
  • “Pumpkin seeds have a really good micronutrient profile and fiber profile, and they're filling. My struggle with chia is … they're kind of messy.” (25:20)
• Small, simple meal additions—eggs, pumpkin seeds, nuts—can significantly increase nutritional density without much effort.

Gender, Nutritional Needs, and Simple “Rules” (26:33–28:40)

• Discussing the difference between male-centric nutrition advice and women's unique needs:
  • Health, hormones, and the menstrual cycle require protein, healthy fats, and carbs in every meal.
  • Erica: “I would really not encourage women to take their health advice from men or gym bros just because our bodies are so distinctly different.” (27:32)
• Kelly LeVeque’s “protein, fat, fiber on every plate” rule is recommended as an easy guide.

Rethinking Health Goals: Lab Work and Biomarkers (28:40–31:51)

• Both emphasize the importance of bloodwork for understanding real health, versus focusing on external measures like weight or inches.
  • “When I see people talking about like a goal weight they want to hit...I would just love my blood sugar levels to be good and for my thyroid levels to be good. Like, those are all of the goals I have around body.” (30:57)
• Erica shares her use of the Function Health app, which allows her to track biomarkers and biological age.

Navigating Eating with Nausea, Medication, and GLP-1 Drugs (32:00–37:46)

• Liquid foods (bone broth, smoothies) are suggested for those who struggle with nausea.
• Brooke brings up the increasing prevalence of GLP-1 medications for weight, inflammation, metabolic issues.
• Erica advocates for open-minded, medically supervised use:
  • “I think we are only in the infancy of understanding the mechanism of a lot of these medications … just in terms of the GLP medications … they do have many mechanisms of action and can be supportive for a number of different things.” (34:05, 35:50)
  • But cautions against unsupervised use or using solely for vanity.

Lightning Round: Pantry & Fridge Staples (38:26–39:17)

• Brooke: “What is one pantry staple that everyone should keep?”
  • Erica: “Just really good olive oil that you don't have to use for cooking. I like Bariani olive oil. It's Californian olive oil ... and they make really amazing balsamic vinegar.”
• Brooke: “What's one thing that you always have in your refrigerator to quickly snack on or add to meals?”
  • Erica: “Bone broth. Specifically Aaron's roasted chicken bone broth. It really is a superior product.”

Embracing Simplicity, Reducing Cognitive Load (40:10–40:28)

• Reiterate the value of repeating meals and reducing the mental energy spent on food planning:
  • “We need to continue reducing our cognitive load around food...For me, I'm always thinking about food...and like, it just takes up too much space.” (40:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Routine:
  “There are ways to make sure that you're getting some kind of food without having to think too much about it. ... Surrendering to a little bit of a routine or being comfortable with nutritional redundancy.” — Erica (09:39)

• On Real Health Goals:
  “...Those are all of the goals I have around body are... connected to my overall health and not being vitamin deficient in any way. Less focused on the superficial exterior, because that doesn't really matter or really signal health.” — Brooke (31:02)

• On Meal Simplicity:
  “It's okay to eat the same thing throughout the week and sometimes you need to. And take out that cognitive load.” — Brooke (40:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:00 | Brooke introduces the nutrition struggle and recent health-related changes
• 09:32 | Erica outlines “nutritional redundancy” and explains her meal planning mindset
• 12:11 | Importance of protein—especially for women—and meal planning tips
• 15:09 | Breakfast routines that center protein and avoid high-glycemic foods
• 20:41 | Quick lunches for busy schedules; embracing tinned fish
• 24:11 | Easy meal-boosters: pumpkin seeds over chia, adding eggs, etc.
• 26:33 | Gender differences in nutrition — protein, fat, and fiber at every meal
• 28:40 | Performing regular lab work vs. external health goals
• 32:00 | Navigating meals with nausea and medications
• 34:05 | GLP-1s, peptides, and perspectives on new medical tools
• 38:26 | Lightning round: staple ingredients for easy healthy eating
• 40:10 | Final take: simplicity, preparation, and “cognitive load”

Practical Takeaways

• Batch Cooking & Redundancy: Prepare big batches of food on weekends, and don’t be afraid to repeat meals throughout the week.
• Protein Comes First: Prioritize 20–30g of protein in the morning — via shakes, eggs, broth, or simple meals.
• Stock the Staples: High-quality olive oil, bone broth, tinned fish, and nuts/pumpkin seeds are essentials for quick, nutritious meals.
• Embrace Simplicity: Don’t stress about variety or elaborate meals—nutritional repetition is your friend.
• Monitor Real Health: Labs and biomarkers matter more than looks; use actionable data to guide your nutrition.
• Modern Medicine: Remain open-minded about new medications (like GLP-1s) but only under medical supervision.