Chews Food Wisely with Nicole Fennell, RD

10/02/2025

nce upon a time I definitely spent way too many hours obsessing over bloating, thyroid labs that look "normal" even though I felt like 🗑, and wondering why my favorite jeans suddenly hate me.

Trust me when I say this: I. GET. IT.

If you’re done feeling tired, bloated, or like your wonky hormones are running the show, you’re in the right place.

Our team helps women feel like themselves again with
✨ 1:1 support that actually makes sense
🧪 Lab bundles to find out what’s really going on
💡 Science-backed strategies that don’t make your head spin

Not ready for 1:1 yet? Start small with our freebies
🎧 Comment PODCAST – real talk about thyroid, hormones, and energy
❓ Comment QUIZ – find out what may be secretly sabotaging your health
📚 Comment FREECOURSE – to get our free thyroid-specific course to help you start feeling better

My DMs are always open if you want to rant, ask questions, or just need a little cheerleading.

You belong here.

XO, Nicole

09/30/2025

I used to be so tired. Like, couldn’t-make-it-through-afternoon-rounds tired. And I was a dietitian. I should’ve known better, right?

But in my early 20s, between training for a marathon, working crazy stressful hospital shifts, and surviving on whatever “1200-calorie diet advice” we were all taught in school, my body was running on empty. I’d nap under my desk just to survive. Afternoon? Diet Coke or Spark to keep going. Nighttime? Wide awake, jittery, heart racing. It was a cycle I couldn’t break.

Even with all my nutrition knowledge, I was deficient across the board. Stress, under-eating, over-training, my energy was nonexistent. My thyroid and metabolism were screaming at me and I was too tired to listen.

Blood sugar was all over the place and micronutrient testing confirmed I was low across the board. My body literally didn’t have the building blocks to produce energy efficiently.

Now everything has changed— not by subtracting from my diet, but adding. Eating enough, timing meals the right way, prioritizing protein, adding in foods instead of taking them away, and assessing what my body actually needed has stabilized my energy, boosted my mood, and let me enjoy life without relying on caffeine as a crutch.

Your body wants to run well. It just needs the right fuel, the right timing, and the right building blocks. Sometimes it’s not about restriction or discipline; it’s about giving your system what it’s been silently begging for.

If you’re exhausted no matter how much sleep you get, it might be time to look at what your body is actually missing.

09/30/2025

I used to be so tired. Like, couldn’t-make-it-through-afternoon-rounds tired. And I was a dietitian. I should’ve known better, right?

But in my early 20s, between training for a marathon, working crazy stressful hospital shifts, and surviving on whatever “1200-calorie diet advice” we were all taught in school, my body was running on empty. I’d nap under my desk just to survive. Afternoon? Diet Coke or Spark to keep going. Nighttime? Wide awake, jittery, heart racing. It was a cycle I couldn’t break.

Even with all my nutrition knowledge, I was deficient across the board. Stress, under-eating, over-training, my energy was nonexistent. My thyroid and metabolism were screaming at me and I was too tired to listen.

Blood sugar was all over the place and micronutrient testing confirmed I was low across the board. My body literally didn’t have the building blocks to produce energy efficiently.

Now everything has changed-- not by subtracting from my diet, but adding. Eating enough, timing meals the right way, prioritizing protein, adding in foods instead of taking them away, and assessing what my body actually needed has stabilized my energy, boosted my mood, and let me enjoy life without relying on caffeine as a crutch.

Your body wants to run well. It just needs the right fuel, the right timing, and the right building blocks. Sometimes it’s not about restriction or discipline; it’s about giving your system what it’s been silently begging for.

If you’re exhausted no matter how much sleep you get, it might be time to look at what your body is actually missing.

09/26/2025

Bless my twenty-something-year-old self who was living on Paleo waffles (all carbs, no protein) and a prayer for breakfast and wondering why I was a hangry, exhausted beast by 10 AM.

Talk about a blood sugar roller coaster. And the solution isn't to just cut carbs to stop the roller-coaster ride.

Instead, you can crowd them out instead.

Here’s why:
Blood sugar is your body’s gas pedal. It fuels your energy, metabolism, and thyroid. When it’s stable, you feel steady and clear. When it’s on a rollercoaster, you feel drained, moody, and stuck.

That’s why carbs matter. Balanced & quality carbs actually support thyroid hormone production and energy metabolism. Going too low carb for too long can backfire by slowing metabolism, lowering thyroid hormone, and adding stress to a body that’s already working overtime.

The fix isn’t cutting carbs forever (because let’s be honest, that’s not realistic). It’s crowding out the refined, blood-sugar-spiking stuff with nutrient-dense carbs your body knows what to do with.

Because at the end of the day, the best diet is the one you can stick with forever—and your thyroid deserves nothing less.

Want more deets on how we implement The BRAIN Method? Comment PODCAST (free, private podcast) or FREECOURSE (for a more classroom style, thyroid specific e-course) :-)

09/24/2025

Most women I work with have been told at some point: “Carbs are the enemy.”

But here’s the truth—your thyroid actually needs glucose from quality carbs to do its job at every step of the hormone journey.

✨ Converting T4 to the active T3? Glucose is part of that process.
✨ Helping T3 get inside your cells to spark energy? Yep, glucose supports that too.
✨ Keeping cortisol in check so thyroid function isn’t suppressed? Steady glucose balance is key.

When you cut carbs TOO low, your body doesn’t just “burn fat better.” It often ends up slowing down thyroid conversion, stressing your adrenals, and leaving you tired, bloated, and stuck.

This doesn’t mean grabbing a bag of chips and calling it medicine. (I mean, that would be sort of awesome LOL). It means fueling with the right carbs—think fruits, starchy veggies, legumes, veggies, whole-grains (as tolerated)—that provide a steady stream of balanced glucose your cells can use to optimize your metabolism.

So if you’ve been white-knuckling your way through another low-carb plan and wondering why your energy, metabolism, and mood aren’t improving… maybe it’s not your willpower.

Comment FREECOURSE to get access to my free Thyroid School e-course where you'll learn more about blood sugar, The Thyroid Hormone Journey, and more!

09/23/2025

09/19/2025

Was out of office today reconnecting. Wishing you a happy weekend of reconnection too 😘

09/16/2025

Not sure about you, but I feel like I've been holding my breath for a few years now. I find myself with racing heartbeat each time I pick up my phone, open this app, check my email, turn on the TV. It's like I'm bracing for the next thing, then the next, and then the next.

Thank God that I'm just a witness on the periphery, but it doesn't mean that tragedy after tragedy after unprecedented event, no matter how far removed I am, doesn't hit me somewhere in my soul.

Natural disasters, violence, conflict, disagreement, loss of life... it's a lot, and I can only speak for myself, but it feels especially like a lot for a peacemaker, empath, Enneagram 9, socially anxious, millennial "fixer" who strives (and fails) to solve all the problems and be the "strong one" for those who need it.

And, as someone living with multiple autoimmune diseases, it's something I (against my inner desire) have to protect myself from. Thank God for the privilege to do so.

I don't even know the purpose of this post except to tell you this: That if you're feeling flooded, are having flares, and are just feeling like you can't get a hold on your symptoms... please do what you can to remind yourself that you're safe.

- Eat balanced meals
- Make sure your meals have a protein, fat, and colorful carb. Bonus points if you get 1-2 veggies :-)
- Connect with loved ones
- Get outside
- Step away from your phone
- Watch a funny show (The Office is my favorite comfort show)
- Go to therapy (LOTS of affordable and accessible options!)
- Read a book
- Make a new recipe

Your immune system picks up on everything your brain perceives. We can't control everything, but there are big things that we can control that are helpful overall.

Have a great one

09/04/2025

My kids had a lemonade stand this summer. It was scorching hot, but they hung in there for hours flagging down cars, mixing lemonade, setting up their stand, counting change. They worked hard, but after a while with no customers and their jar still short of their goal, they were ready to pack it up.

I told them, “Give it just a few more minutes. You never know who might drive by.”

Fifteen minutes later, a young man with his girlfriend drove by in a jacked-up truck, rolled down his window, bought two lemonades (50 cents each), handed them a $20 bill, and said, “Keep the change.” It was the biggest sale of the day.

In that moment, they learned something I hope they never forget: sometimes the breakthrough, the win, the "yes, finally!" comes right after you feel like giving up.

09/02/2025

"So... you're telling me I have a lifelong chronic autoimmune disease and only option is to just wait and check back next year?" 😬

Okay, okay. That response isn't totally wrong. I mean, from a medical intervention standpoint, it's actually accurate. I know, that's tough to hear. But here's the good news...

Hashimoto's is not a medication deficiency issue. Sure, thyroid replacement can be a Godsend if/when your hormones get low enough to require it. But for many of us, we get stuck in this limbo of "wait and see" until that time comes.

Hashi's is an autoimmune process that is influenced by things that affect our immune system. And... here's the good news.

A LARGE percentage of what drives Hashimoto's is from the adaptive immune system. ADAPTIVE. It can ADAPT.

We believe in leveraging that adaptive nature by providing your body with the many tools it can use to help it adapt in a positive way.

That is:
- managing stressors and improving your resiliency
- balancing your blood sugar without having to cut out carbs
- learning to navigate your emotionally driven food choices with grace and compassion
- balancing your gut without having to be on 2348329 anti-microbial supplements over and over
- managing inflammation by adding in more foods, not taking away more foods

My friend, I say this with love as someone living with Hashimoto's: That 30 day diet will not cure you. I promise. That's hard to hear, but it won't.

Hashimoto's is forever. (Yes, even with normalizing of antibodies, it's still there!) BUT forever doesn't mean that you'll feel terribly forever. What it DOES mean is that you have to find a dietary lifestyle that you CAN follow forever.

Meaning your diet needs to be:
- realistic
- sustainable
- flexible
- enjoyably
- effective

Wanna dive deeper? Comment FREECOURSE or PODCAST to get more nutrition specific insights into supporting your thyroid in the learning-style you like best!