Should You Get a DEXA Scan?

This podcast is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. In today’s episode, we take a closer look at DEXA scans — what they measure, what the numbers actually mean, and whether getting one is worth it. These scans are becoming more common in fitness and wellness settings, providing insight into body fat, muscle mass, visceral fat, bone density, and even something called “biological age.” But how should we interpret those numbers? What can they tell us about our health — and what can’t they tell us? Using my own recent scan as a starting point, we explore how body composition data can serve as a baseline for understanding our bodies, tracking changes over time, and making more informed decisions about strength training, fat loss, and bone health. In this episode, we talk about: * The difference between total-body composition scans and clinical DEXA scans used to diagnose osteopenia or osteoporosis * What body fat percentage actually measures — and why it’s different from BMI * The concept of body recomposition: reducing body fat while maintaining or gaining muscle * Why visceral fat matters for metabolic and cardiovascular health * What biological age means — and why it should be interpreted cautiously * How to understand T-scores in bone density reports * Why the hip and spine are the gold-standard sites for diagnostic bone density scans And we close by talking about what really matters most: what we do with the information once we have it — including how strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle choices influence fat, muscle, and bone as we age. 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Food for Thought , celebrating 20 years of practical inspiration for living compassionately, sustainably, and healthfully. Mount Kilimanjaro: To join World Vegan Travel (and my husband!) on this amazing trekking adventure, AND get a $100 voucher for REI, use JOYFULVEGAN as your code and THIS LINK to find out more information and to book your adventure! 2027 Trips: In the episode, I also mentioned our 2027 trips, none of which are ready to offer yet; however, you can pre-register to get first dibs when the trips go live. You don’t have to pay a cent or commit to a trip (that doesn’t exist yet!), but pre-registering puts you first in line. * Pre-Register for Provence, France * Pre-Register for Cambodia * Pre-Register for Japan in the Fall Affiliate Links If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided! * Complement Supplements Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products! * Plaine Products Refillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products! * Nama Juicer My favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products! Additional Resources 👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for. 👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity. 👉 Travel with me ! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions. 👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Should You Get a DEXA Scan? is an episode from Food for Thought: Living Compassionately, Sustainably, and Healthfully by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

This episode is 41:14 long.

This episode was published on Mar 6, 2026.

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