Ep. 554 Why Digestive Rest Matters in Menopause with Cynthia Thurlow, NP | Menopause, Perimenopause & Fasting

Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Cynthia Thurlow

Nutrition, Alternative Health, Life Sciences, Science, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, I’ll be unpacking some of the research and science surrounding digestive rest and intermittent fasting. In this episode, I am transparent about the fact that what works for me now may not be what worked five or ten years ago. I explain what happens in your body when you’re not eating, explore ways to approach intermittent fasting, and highlight why your goals, life stage, and metabolic health should guide your choices. Whether you’re focused on building muscle, improving metabolic flexibility, or supporting fat loss, I hope that you walk away with a clearer understanding of how long you should go without eating, while honoring your current stage of life. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How everything changed after 10 years of intermittent fasting How digestive rest differs from intermittent fasting Why intermittent fasting works better as a metabolic strategy How digestive rest supports healing The metabolic value of intermittent fasting How perimenopause and menopause impact the gut microbiome How to determine whether digestive rest or intermittent fasting is more appropriate in different life stages Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now! Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.
0:03.7	I'm your host, nurse practitioner, Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.4	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:13.9	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and impact
0:22.1	over a million lives.
0:29.1	This is the start of a new Thursday series called The Midlife Minute that is really designed to address listeners questions in a little bit longer
0:40.3	length of time and or deeper dive into topics. Ideally, we're going to keep these podcasts under
0:47.3	20 minutes. Occasionally, we may go over to 30, but I'm trying to reinforce some key concepts and ensure that I'm addressing listeners' questions
0:58.5	in a way that's really helpful.
1:00.5	So the questions that I will be addressing topics are going to be items that I'm being asked
1:05.2	over and over and over again.
1:06.5	I hope you enjoy this series.
1:08.1	Please share with your friends.
1:09.7	And as you know, you can always send
1:11.7	your questions to support at cynthia thurlow.com. I appreciate each and every listener.
1:19.9	Wow, wow, wow. You all have spoken. You want me to be doing more solo dedicated podcast. So today,
1:26.3	I wanted to unpack a little bit of research, a little bit
1:30.2	of science around not only digestive rest, but also intermittent fasting. This is kind of a nuanced
1:37.5	conversation because whether we are going unfed for 12 to 13 hours or we're going unfed for 20
1:43.5	hours, there's a lot of nuance of this conversation.
1:47.0	Obviously, I'm known for intermittent fasting. I always say like that was unexpected. And so I very
1:53.6	humbly sit back and say what works for me now might be different than what worked for me
	...

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