EP 149 - The One Decision That Will Change Your Wellness Journey
Release Date: 08/18/2025
EP 157 - Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Life: The Missing Link to Energy, Metabolism & Longevity
The Real Dish
We spend so much time chasing protein, cutting carbs, and counting calories—but what if the real key to energy, metabolism, and longevity has been living inside your gut this whole time? Hot take: it’s not that your metabolism is broken—it’s that your microbiome is underfed. In this episode of The Real Dish, I sit down with gut health expert and bestselling author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz—also known as “Dr. B”—to dig into the real power of plants and what they can do for your body, your brain, and your longevity. As the author of the new book ,Plant Powered Plus,...
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EP 156 - Food = Power: On Nutrition, Culture, and Real Wellness in the Digital Age
The Real Dish
I’ve spent over 30 years in the food industry, but my relationship with what’s on my plate started long before that, in the markets of Alexandria, Egypt. In this special episode, I’m sharing a conversation I had with Abby of One Potato, where we peel back the layers on something I believe in with my whole heart: food is agency, power, and responsibility. We get real about the moment my father’s cancer diagnosis made food safety personal, and why my husband’s health journey connected the dots back to the pesticides we accept as normal. For National Nutrition Month, we’re cutting...
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EP 155 - How to name, where to find, what to pick and how to enjoy - food
The Real Dish
What do lasagna, punch, and your midnight cookie cravings have in common? More than you’d ever guess. Today, I’m serving up something totally different—a mashup episode that takes us from the surprising origins of the words on your dinner plate to the hidden spots where travelers find real food magic, and finally, into the deep conversation we don’t have enough about: what’s really driving your cravings. I sat down with Mark Morton, author of Cupboard Love, who dropped some serious mind-benders—like the fact that lasagna is related to the word for bedpan (I’m still processing...
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EP 154 - Passport to Flavor: What its like cooking on a private yacht with Chef Abby Cheshire
The Real Dish
If you’ve ever dreamt of eating your way around the world—but without the jet lag, lost luggage, or questionable airplane food—today’s episode is your passport. My guest today is Abby Cheshire, a private yacht chef, culinary arts teacher, and global flavor hunter who somehow manages to cook extraordinary meals in the tiniest kitchens… while floating on the open sea. She’s the author of the just-released cookbook Passport to Flavor, featuring 100 global recipes inspired by destinations around the world—from Barbecue Short Rib Vermicelli in Ha Long...
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EP 153 - 57 Good Steps To a Great Fitlife
The Real Dish
It’s my birthday and I’m turning 57. And instead of giving you a highlight reel or a greatest-hits list, I want to give you something far more honest. Everything meaningful in my life— my health, my career, my faith, the brands I’ve built, the places I’ve traveled, the TV shows I’ve cooked on— all of it came down to one good step. Not a master plan. Not perfection. Not having it all figured out. Just one faithful, forward step… taken again and again. This episode is a deeper dive into the 57 Good Steps to a Great Life, I share what they look like in real life...
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EP 152 - I Went to Italy's White Truffle Festival. Here's What I Learned
The Real Dish
I just stepped out of the intoxicating, earthy air of the White Truffle Festival in Alba, Italy, and my entire perspective on this culinary unicorn has changed. What if everything you thought you knew about truffles—their flavor, their cost, even that bottle of truffle oil in your pantry—was missing the point? In this solo deep-dive, I’m pulling back the curtain on the world’s most mysterious and fleeting luxury ingredient. We’re moving beyond the hype to the heart of the matter: why truffles don’t actually taste like anything, the shocking truth about most truffle products,...
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EP 151 - Redefining Social Drinking: A Zero-Proof Lifestyle with Sam Moore
The Real Dish
Welcome to another episode of The Real Dish. I’m your hostess with the mostess, Chef Mareya, The Fit Foodie and I have a question for you. What happens when you take alcohol out of the equation? Do the celebrations stop… or do they actually get more meaningful? In this episode 151, we’re exploring a movement that’s gaining serious momentum: the non-alcoholic and zero-proof lifestyle. During Sober October and beyond, more people are rethinking their relationship with drinking — not out of deprivation, but out of a desire to live sharper, healthier, and more present....
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EP 150 - Eating Well Without the Weight of Perfection
The Real Dish
September is Mental Health Awareness Month, today we’re diving into something that affects way more people than you might realize—our relationship with food. Now, if you love food like I do but also care about your health and fitness, you’ve probably felt this at some point: Am I enjoying this too much? Am I eating too much? Too little? Should I be more disciplined? I’ve been on both sides of this fence—from my life as a chef celebrating every flavor to my time training for a bikini competition where food became numbers and rules. Today, I want to share my story, give you some stats...
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EP 149 - The One Decision That Will Change Your Wellness Journey
The Real Dish
You make over 35,000 decisions every single day—from whether to hit snooze to what you eat for lunch to how you respond to that passive-aggressive email. But there’s one decision that rises above all the others, and it can set the tone for your entire week, your health, and your longevity: Prioritizing your mental well-being. In this episode, I’m sharing 8 science-backed “Mindset Moves” to help you start your week strong, boost your energy, protect your peace, and make the rest of your decisions easier. We’ll dig into the research on how a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and...
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EP 148 - Stress-Free Aging: EU Rituals to Ditch Hustle Culture
The Real Dish
Welcome back to a new season of The Real Dish! I'm your hostess with the mostess, Chef Mareya, The Fit Foodie and I'm here to dish up real food for thought on how to live well and thrive - especially in midlife. If you described the way most people live in the U.S. to someone in the south of France or the heart of Madrid, they’d probably blink at you in disbelief. Early dinners eaten standing up. Everything low-fat, sugar-free, gluten-free. Coffee in to-go cups. Eating alone at your desk. Skipping meals to “save calories.” Grinding all day, wearing stress like a badge of...
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You make over 35,000 decisions every single day—from whether to hit snooze to what you eat for lunch to how you respond to that passive-aggressive email. But there’s one decision that rises above all the others, and it can set the tone for your entire week, your health, and your longevity: Prioritizing your mental well-being.
In this episode, I’m sharing 8 science-backed “Mindset Moves” to help you start your week strong, boost your energy, protect your peace, and make the rest of your decisions easier. We’ll dig into the research on how a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and unmanaged stress can wreck your health—and how a few intentional habits can turn it all around.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why starting your week with mental well-being in mind is the ultimate “keystone decision” for success.
The scary stats on how poor diet, stress, and inactivity affect your brain, body, and lifespan.
8 simple, actionable mindset moves to boost your focus, energy, and emotional resilience.
The 8 Mindset Moves:
Start with Stillness – Begin your day with 5 minutes of quiet, prayer, or meditation.
Brain Dump Your Stress – Clear your head by getting thoughts onto paper.
Hydrate Like You Mean It – 20 oz. of water + electrolytes before coffee.
Move Your Body, Clear Your Mind – Even 20 minutes can reset your mood.
Eat Like You Give a Fork – Nourish your brain and body with real, whole foods.
Guard Your Digital Gate – Don’t let your phone hijack your mind before you’re ready.
Say No Without Guilt – Protect your peace like it’s your retirement plan.
Feed Your Soul – End your day with something that uplifts and recharges you.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Grab your free Monday Mindset guide: WILL GIVE YOU THE GUIDE
Superfood Sprinkle – your daily boost of adaptogens, seeds, and flavor in one easy shake. https://www.mysuperfoodsprinkle.com/
Follow me on Instagram and let me know if this helped you: @ChefMareya