Breaking Up With Wine: How Food, Mood & Habits Shape Recovery | Amy FoxBreaking Up With Wine: How Food, Mood & Habits Shape Recovery | Amy Fox
3-21 NoKiddin' Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast
Bobbie Malatesta talks with nutrition-focused coach Amy Fox about breaking up with wine, diet culture, and how everyday food choices can influence stress, mood and recovery. The conversation highlights small, practical changes around alcohol, nutrition and movement without rigid rules or shame.
41:50•3 Nov 2026
Breaking Up with Wine and Rethinking Food: Amy Fox on Mood, Stress and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Breaking up with alcohol can start with simple curiosity about why you drink and how it really makes you feel.
- There is no single perfect diet; the best approach is one you can stick to that fits your body, lifestyle and health needs.
- Reducing processed, bagged and highly sugary foods and drinks, even one choice at a time, can significantly improve mood and energy.
- Balanced plates with vegetables, protein and healthy starches help stabilise blood sugar, which supports clearer thinking and more even emotions.
- Gut health and chronic stress are closely linked to mental wellbeing, so food, mindset and movement all play a part in long-term recovery.
“I just learned that I needed to break up with wine.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol while still loving good food and a joy-filled life? This conversation between host Bobbie Malatesta and guest Amy Fox hits that sweet spot where wine, mood, and meal choices all collide. Amy, founder of Food and Mood Lab and a certified functional food professional, shares how studying nutrition pushed her to "break up with wine" and rethink a house that literally had rooms dedicated to it.
As she read more about how alcohol affects the body and brain, she moved towards becoming a certified alcohol coach with This Naked Mind, helping people get curious about why they drink and what they’re really using it to cope with. The chat is relaxed, funny in places, and very down-to-earth. Amy isn’t pushing a miracle diet; in fact, she calls herself "anti-diet culture" and focuses on simple, sustainable habits.
She explains that you "are what you eat" and that food, mindset and movement sit at the core of how you show up in life, whether as a parent, entrepreneur, or person in recovery. You’ll hear about swapping processed foods and bagged snacks for real, affordable options like frozen veg and basic proteins, and why tiny changes like choosing water over soda can add years to your life.
Amy also breaks down how blood sugar spikes, gut health and even seed oils can affect anxiety, stress and brain fog, in language that doesn’t need a science degree. If you’re in recovery from gambling, alcohol, or just tired of feeling "blah", this conversation offers practical, guilt-free ideas rather than rigid rules. So what’s one small food or drink choice you’re ready to change today?
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