Episode 256: What I Ate During Mastectomy Recovery
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Release Date: 11/13/2026
Episode 256: What I Ate During Mastectomy Recovery
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description If there was one part of surgery recovery I was probably overprepared for, it was the food. As a dietitian, I had a pretty good idea of what my body would need after surgery. Actually living through recovery, though, reminded me that knowing what to do and having the energy or appetite to do it are two very different things. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing what eating looked like for me during my mastectomy recovery, how my appetite and routine changed, and what helped make nourishing myself feel more manageable while my body was...
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Episode 255: The First Week of Recovery
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description Before surgery, one of the questions I kept coming back to was pretty simple: What is that first week actually going to feel like? In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing what my first week looked like after my preventive double mastectomy with reconstruction, including some of the things that surprised me, challenged me, and helped recovery start to feel more manageable. What stood out most was how quickly the unfamiliar started becoming a little less intimidating. Recovery came with discomfort, limitations, and plenty of adjustments,...
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EPISODE 254: What I Did Before Surgery to Make Recovery Easier
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description Preparing for surgery can bring a lot of questions about what you’ll need and how much you can realistically plan for. I found myself thinking through just about every detail. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing some of the things I did before my preventive mastectomy that helped make recovery feel more manageable, along with a few things I realized I probably didn’t need to worry about quite so much. A big part of preparing was thinking about how everyday life would work while I recovered, what I could take off my plate ahead of...
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EPISODE 253: What to Do If You’re at High Risk for Breast Cancer
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description Hearing that you’re at high risk for breast cancer can be scary. But knowing you’re high risk doesn’t automatically tell you what to do next. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m talking about where to start, based on both my years working in breast oncology and my own experience with high-risk screening. We’ll talk about understanding your individual risk, what to ask your healthcare team, whether your screening plan may need to change, and where lifestyle fits into the picture without making yourself crazy trying to do...
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EPISODE 252: Choosing Surgery When You’re Not Sick
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Choosing major surgery when you’re not technically sick comes with a strange mix of emotions. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m talking about what that experience was like for me—the fear, gratitude, guilt, and the pressure I sometimes felt to explain or justify a decision that was deeply personal. I also get into something I’ve wrestled with for years: the idea that if we just eat the right things, manage our stress, think positively, and do wellness “correctly,” maybe we can somehow control what happens to our bodies. Spoiler:...
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Episode 250: Introducing Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording | Women’s Health & Wellness Podcast
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Welcome to Episode 250—and a new chapter of the podcast. Drama-Free Healthy Living is now Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording. In this episode, I’m sharing what inspired the evolution of the show and why this new name feels like the right fit for where I am now. As a registered dietitian, health coach, author, and speaker, I’ve spent years talking about nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management, and healthy habits. But over time, I’ve come to see health in a much broader way—one that also includes the experiences, challenges, and changes that shape how...
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Episode 251: Why I Chose a Preventive Mastectomy | Breast Cancer Risk, Breast Health & My Personal Decision
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: Choosing to have a preventive mastectomy was never something I imagined I would do. And it definitely wasn’t a decision I made overnight. In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing the personal story behind that decision—what led me there, what years of breast screening and uncertainty were really like, and why something that once felt incredibly drastic eventually started to feel very different. I also talk about something I think gets missed in a lot of wellness conversations: you can take great care of yourself and still face health...
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Episode 249: Hitting Pause
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: If you’ve been feeling a little… maxed out lately—and you can tell you’re still doing things out of momentum, not meaning—this episode is for you. In this solo episode, I’m sharing why I’m hitting pause on the podcast for now. Not because I don’t love it, and not because it didn’t matter. But because my life has changed so much since I started this show in 2019, and I’m realizing I need space. The kind of space where you can actually hear yourself again—without forcing the next step just to keep things moving. I talk about the fear of being seen as a...
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Episode 248: What to Let Go of in 2026
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
Episode Description: If you’re heading into 2026 feeling a little stretched thin—like you’re carrying too much, trying too hard, or overthinking every next step—this episode is for you. Today’s conversation is all about release, not in a dramatic “new year, new you” way, but in a practical, gentle, real-life way. Because sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for your health, your energy, and your goals… is let go of the habits, beliefs, and pressures that quietly drain you. We’re talking about perfectionism, comparison, guilt around rest, the all-or-nothing mindset,...
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Episode 247: Harnessing the Power of the Unfocused Mind w/ Dr. Srini Pillay
Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording
📌Try the ReuLay app for mindset shifts (); email for a free 3-month subscription 👉In this episode of the Drama Free Healthy Living Podcast, host Jess Cording interviews Dr. Srini Pillay, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and executive coach, about harnessing brain science for better focus, overcoming fear, managing stress, and integrating creativity into daily life. They explore strategies like strategic unfocus (napping, doodling, daydreaming) to boost productivity, the CIRCA method (Chunking, Ignore mental chatter, Reality check, Control check, Attention shift) for...
info_outlineEpisode Description
If there was one part of surgery recovery I was probably overprepared for, it was the food.
As a dietitian, I had a pretty good idea of what my body would need after surgery. Actually living through recovery, though, reminded me that knowing what to do and having the energy or appetite to do it are two very different things.
In this episode of Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording, I’m sharing what eating looked like for me during my mastectomy recovery, how my appetite and routine changed, and what helped make nourishing myself feel more manageable while my body was healing.
I also talk about some of the pressure we can put on ourselves to eat “perfectly,” especially when we’re trying to support our health, and why recovery calls for a much more practical approach.
Key Points
➡ What eating was actually like during my mastectomy recovery
➡ How surgery affected my appetite, energy, and usual routine
➡ The nutrition priorities I kept in mind while healing
➡ Making food easier when cooking and meal prep felt like too much
➡ Letting go of the pressure to eat perfectly
➡ Adjusting meals to what my body could realistically handle
➡ Accepting help and allowing convenience to be part of recovery
➡ What this experience reminded me about nutrition during a demanding season
If you’re preparing for surgery, recovering yourself, or supporting someone who is, I hope this episode gives you a realistic look at what eating during recovery can actually feel like and helps take some of the pressure off.
🎙️ Listen to Episode 256: What I Ate During Mastectomy Recovery on Healthier & Happier with Jess Cording.
YouTube link 👉 https://youtu.be/bWTjWK3nhLI
If you like what you hear, leave a 5-star review on Apple podcasts HERE.
Stay connected with me on Instagram @jesscording and over on Substack at jessicacording.substack.com
You can also find my tarot work on Instagram at @tea_and_oranges_tarot and on Substack at substack.com/@teaandorangestarot
#HealthierAndHappierPodcast #PreventiveMastectomy #PreventiveSurgery #BreastHealth #WomensHealth