7 Nutritional Know-How Tips I Learned the Hard Way After a $200k Burnout

My biggest regret? Not learning about Nutritional Know-How tips sooner. To be honest, I spent most of my late twenties running on sheer adrenaline, triple-shot espressos, and those “healthy” granola bars that are basically Snickers bars in a green wrapper. I was living in a cramped apartment in Manhattan, working 80-hour weeks in corporate consulting, and telling everyone I was “crushing it.”

In reality, my body was crushing me. I had chronic back pain that felt like a hot iron pressing into my spine, and my brain fog was so thick I once forgot my own zip code while standing at a post office. I eventually spent nearly $200,000 on “wellness”—expensive specialists, retreats that promised “soul-cleansing,” and every supplement under the sun—only to realize that the Nutritional Know-How tips I actually needed were much simpler. And a lot cheaper. Actually, I’m writing this from my sunny little spot in Santa Monica now, years later, finally feeling like a human again. If you’re feeling like a shell of yourself, I want to share what actually moved the needle for me.

1. Stop the “Morning Spike” and Stabilize Your Energy

I used to think a fruit smoothie with dates and honey was the “pinnacle of health.” I’d pay $16.50 for one at a juice bar near my old office. Half an hour later? I’d be ready for a nap. How should I put it? I was essentially putting my hormones on a roller coaster before 9 AM. One of the most important Nutritional Know-How tips I ever learned was to prioritize protein and fat in the morning.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that individuals who consumed a high-protein breakfast had significantly better glucose control throughout the entire day compared to those who ate high-carb breakfasts. I noticed this immediately. When I swapped my “healthy” fruit bowl for eggs with avocado or even just a turkey wrap, my afternoon slump vanished. I didn’t need that 3 PM caffeine hit that used to make my heart race.

The Savory Breakfast Shift

If you take away nothing else, try this: go savory for breakfast for one week. It sounds boring, but it’s a total life-saver. I actually talked more about this in my guide on 7 nutrition basics lessons I learned during my recovery. The goal is to keep your insulin from spiking early so you don’t spend the rest of the day chasing a sugar high.

2. The Mineral Gap: Why You’re Still Tired

I remember sitting in a doctor’s office in November 2023, complaining that my legs felt like lead. I was eating “clean”—lots of kale, steamed chicken, the usual. He looked at my blood work and laughed (kindly). “Emma,” he said, “you’re functionally depleted of magnesium.”

We often focus on vitamins, but minerals are the spark plugs of the body. Stress—the kind of soul-crushing stress I had—burns through magnesium faster than a wildfire. I started taking a high-quality magnesium glycinate. I bought it for $23.47 at the CVS on 4th Street last Tuesday because I ran out, and let me tell you, it’s the only supplement I never skip. It helped my chronic pain more than any expensive massage ever did.

The Electrolyte Myth

People think electrolytes are just for athletes. No. If you’re stressed, you’re an “emotional athlete.” You need sodium, potassium, and magnesium just to keep your nervous system from frying. I used to avoid salt because I thought it made me bloated. Huge mistake. Now, I add a pinch of high-quality sea salt to my water every morning. It’s a tiny bit of Nutritional Know-How that costs basically zero dollars.

3. Stop Fear-Mongering Around “Healthy” Fats

I feel now that the 90s really messed with our heads regarding fat. For years, I ate fat-free yogurt and wondered why I was always hungry and irritable. To be honest, I was “hangry” for about a decade. When I started my journey to fix my chronic pain, I realized my nerves were screaming for healthy fats.

Your brain is about 60% fat. If you aren’t eating enough of it, you’re literally starving your cognitive function. I started adding grass-fed butter or ghee to my vegetables. I noticed my skin started glowing for the first time since I was 19. I also stopped buying those “low-fat” dressings that are loaded with sugar and seed oils. Instead, I make a simple vinaigrette with olive oil and lemon. It’s cheaper and tastes better.

4. The “Superfood” Trap: Real Food vs. Marketing

Last year, I spent way too much money—probably around $400 in one month—on exotic powders like ashwagandha, maca, and camu camu. I thought they were the missing pieces to my health puzzle. They weren’t. Actually, most of them ended up sitting in the back of my pantry until they expired.

One of my biggest Nutritional Know-How tips is to focus on “boring” superfoods. Broccoli, eggs, sardines, and blueberries. These have been studied for decades and don’t require a $50-per-bag price tag. I used to feel embarrassed buying sardines at the grocery store, but they are a nutritional powerhouse for brain health and inflammation. I buy the Wild Planet brand—it’s about $4.89 a can—and it’s a much better investment than some “moon dust” powder from a trendy boutique.

Bioavailability Matters

It’s not just about what you eat; it’s about what you absorb. This was a hard lesson. I was eating tons of raw spinach, thinking I was getting iron. Then I learned about oxalates, which can actually block mineral absorption in some people. I started lightly steaming my greens instead. Small shift, big difference in how my gut felt.

5. Gut Health is More Than Just Probiotics

I used to drink a $9 kombucha every single day, thinking I was a “gut health queen.” But my bloating was still out of control. I felt like a balloon by 7 PM every night. It turns out, I didn’t need more bacteria; I needed to give my digestive system a break. I was “grazing” all day, which meant my migrating motor complex (the “cleaning crew” of the gut) never got a chance to work.

A 2025 report from the Global Wellness Institute highlighted that “digestive rest” is becoming a primary focus for managing IBS and metabolic health. I started leaving at least 4 hours between meals. No snacking. Just water and herbal tea. The bloating vanished within two weeks. It cost me nothing, and I actually saved money on snacks.

6. The Emotional Side of Eating

This is the part where I get a little vulnerable. For a long time, I used food as a way to control a life that felt out of control. I’d be “perfect” all week and then binge on whatever was in the pantry on Friday night because I was so emotionally drained. I had to realize that no amount of Nutritional Know-How tips would fix a broken relationship with myself.

I started practicing “mindful eating,” which I thought was total nonsense at first. I’d sit at my table, no phone, no TV—just me and my $18.52 salad from Sweetgreen. I’d actually taste the lemon, the crunch of the cabbage, the creaminess of the goat cheese. It sounds small, but it stopped the binge cycle. I realized I was often eating because I was lonely or stressed, not because I was hungry. If you’re struggling with this, please be kind to yourself. You can’t heal a body you hate.

Listen to Your Bio-Individuality

Just because your favorite influencer is doing keto or vegan doesn’t mean you should. I tried being strictly vegan for six months in 2022, and my hair started falling out in clumps. I was devastated. I had to admit that my body needed animal protein to heal. It was a blow to my ego, but my health improved almost immediately once I added eggs and wild-caught fish back in. Listen to your own body over the internet noise.

7. Implementation: How to Actually Start

Whenever I give someone Nutritional Know-How tips, they get overwhelmed. They want to change everything on Monday morning. Don’t do that. You’ll quit by Wednesday. I know because I’ve done it a dozen times. Pick one thing. Maybe it’s the savory breakfast. Maybe it’s the magnesium. Do that for two weeks until it feels like second nature.

I also recommend “crowding out” instead of cutting out. Instead of saying “I can’t have cookies,” say “I’m going to eat this big bowl of roasted carrots first.” Usually, by the time you’ve eaten the nutrient-dense food, you don’t even want the junk. Or you want less of it. This mindset shift was huge for my mental health during my recovery from burnout.

I know it feels like a lot. I’ve been there—crying in the grocery store aisle because I didn’t know which almond milk was the “right” one. But your body is incredibly resilient. It wants to heal. You just have to give it the right raw materials. Phone’s at 3%. Bye.