Dishing Up Nutrition

We all know for the next 4 weeks there will be an abundance of treats at family gatherings, at work, at neighborhood get-togethers and at shopping centers. There are so many more temptations and it is more challenging to avoid those treats and weight gain than during other times of the year. Today we will share how to get through the holiday season without gaining weight with habits for controlling cravings and providing an understanding of the biochemistry of weight loss and energy. Tune in to meet one of our new dietitians, Jolene Carlson, as she shares her own personal success story of maintaining weight loss, even through the holidays!

If you have been experiencing more anxiety over the past 20 months than you ever have in the past, you are not alone, because according to a new study by the CDC (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention) about 42% of U.S. adults reported having symptoms of anxiety and depression during this COVID-19 pandemic. That is almost half of the adult population! So what can you do personally to relieve some of your anxiety and depression? Today, as dietitians and nutritionists, we want to focus specifically on the anxiety piece to share at least three biochemical reasons your food choices have a major impact on your mental health.

Are you diabetic or at risk of becoming prediabetic? You might be feeling overwhelmed and confused about what to eat, but we are here to give you some ideas about foods that may increase blood sugar (like processed convenience foods) as well as foods that may help manage blood sugar (like fresh avocados). There is evidence that type 2 diabetes is controllable with proper nutrition and lifestyle changes.

This show is sponsored by Fresh Avocados – Love One Today® a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. As a science-based resource, Love One Today® provides turnkey solutions that make it easy for consumers as well as health professionals to stay on top of the latest research related to avocados.

Today we want to provide our listeners with some ideas about what foods will help them keep their brain and memory working smoothly and slowing down any cognitive decline. If you are concerned about your own memory or if one of your parents or grandparents struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, you may wonder if it possible to lower brain inflammation and oxidative stress while keeping the mind sharp and focused. As dietitians and nutritionists, we are always looking at research and have found the findings of a diet that shows some promising results. If you want to prevent dementia or slow down cognitive decline, choosing the right foods is one of the most important habits you can practice and, in this show, we’ll share the details of what to eat and what to avoid.

The past 20 months have been packed with stress and for many people turning to food, especially sugar and processed carbs, has been one way to cope. We all know that the pandemic has increased stress, but did you know that the sales of pre-packaged ultra-processed foods have also increased? The average diet in the U.S. has shifted from eating real food toward a processed food diet. If the COVID-19 pandemic has got you back on eating sweets, tune in to hear how sugar and processed carbs are also stress-producing and pick up some tips on how to reach for real food to help reduce stress.

Nutrition is involved in making every part of our body, including our bones. Today we are going to discuss what foods support strong and flexible bones and also the foods that can cause weak fragile bones. 15 to 20 million people in the U.S. suffer from osteoporosis and according to the Natural Osteoporosis Foundation while 44 million Americans have low bone density. A study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research from the Mayo Clinic found that in the last 30 years, forearm fractures have increased by 32 percent in boys and 56% in girls. If you are concerned about the bone health of you or a family member, we have a bone-building plan for you! We believe your bones will be stronger and you will not have to endure a fracture as you age or when partaking in your favorite types of physical movement. Listen in for what to eat and what to avoid!

Tune in as two nutritionists discuss ways to deal with chronic pain.

Our dietitians today will focus the discussion on how nutrition helps to develop a strong immune function. We have had many shows about the immune system, but we decided to take this show in a different direction with a little more science than some of our other shows and podcasts. Today we want to share some of the research findings about how you can support your immune system, particularly now during this seemingly endless COVID-19 pandemic. The flu and cold season is almost upon us, so we will share and recommend some valuable action steps you may want to start using now to begin strengthening your immune system.

Listen in as two nutritionist talk about digestions issues and how to treat them.

There are over 6,000 women in the U.S. who go into menopause each and every day, which means about 27 million women are menopausal. Many of the women we are seeing in clinic lately have menopause symptoms starting as early as age 35 and lasting into their late 60’s or early 70’s. Chances are you or someone you love has, is, or will go through menopause and we are on a mission to educate women (and those who love them), starting today. Finding a hormonal solution takes a well-thought-out nutrition, lifestyle education, and support plan, so the topic of this show is all about natural ways to get relief from menopause symptoms.