In an environment where it often seems impossible to make the healthiest food choices in the store or on menus due to the food system widely generating disease causing foods, where many people don’t have a solid nutritional knowledge background, or lifestyle demands eating convenience food, how can a consumer navigate the overwhelm?

In this episode I discuss nutrition knowledge, the role of upbringing on habits and how to begin improving health through what you eat with Kate Cleveland, a certified Holistic Health and Life coach with an MS in Molecular Toxicology, specifically studying nutritional pathways.

Kate Cleveland, Owner & Coach

Kiss Your Food

https://www.kissyourfood.com/about

We are bombarded with food and health messaging constantly in our lives and sometimes the jargon is confusing. This episode covers some basics and defines whole foods, processed foods and ultra processed foods and differentiates between healthy and unhealthy foods. This episode also highlights how food can be addictive and cause disease providing some basic knowledge to help you make better choices!

FOODWELL CHALLENGE: Reduce consumption of ultra-processed food by 1 meal/day for 1 week!

References

1.The NOVA Food Classification System. ecuphysicians.ecu.edu. Published 2018. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

2.Nobakht, MD N, Kamgar, MD M, Jahanshahi N. When it comes to nutrition and chronic disease, focus on the basics. www.uclahealth.org. Published January 5, 2022. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/when-it-comes-to-nutrition-and-chronic-disease-focus-on-the-basics#:~:text=High%20sugar%20and%20refined%20carbohydrate

3.Crimarco A, Landry MJ, Gardner CD. Ultra-processed Foods, Weight Gain, and Co-morbidity Risk. Current Obesity Reports. 2021;11(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-021-00460-y

4.Cordova R, Viallon V, Fontvieille E, et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a multinational cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;35:100771. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100771

5.Sally Robinson, MD. Processed Food Addiction. UTMB Department of Pediatrics. Published October 2023. https://www.utmb.edu/pedi/news/news-article-page/2023/11/13/toxic-stress-and-the-long-term-effects#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20found%20that

In order to better understand the consumer confusion and the food system, how the narrative around food is created in todays market is discussed. An overview on food industry tactics and front groups is provided. This big question is addressed: How are you supposed to know what advice to follow if the system is built so it’s difficult to know who paid for the supporting research or who has industry ties? 

Further information on gofoodwell.com!

REFERENCES

In this episode, we discuss with Registered Dietician Nutritionist Ana Warner (RDN), how inflammation relates to major chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Learn how nutrition can impact chronic disease suffering and what you can do to reduce chronic inflammation.

Links for more info:

gofoodwell.com

Ana Warner, RDN

www.simplyhealthful.org

https://www.instagram.com/aj_simplyhealthful/

Citations:

American Heart Association. Inflammation and Heart Disease: Understand the risks of inflammation. American Heart Association. January 11, 2024. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease/inflammation-and-heart-disease

ASN Member Contributor. Living the Mediterranean Lifestyle. American Society for Nutrition. January 7, 2016. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://nutrition.org/living-mediterranean-lifestyle/

Harvard. “To Understand Noncommunicable Diseases, Researchers Look to Inflammation.” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 26 June 2019, www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/to-understand-noncommunicable-diseases-researchers-look-to-inflammation-%E2%80%A8/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2024.

Lisa C & Zena W. Inflammation and cancer. National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information. December 19, 2002. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803035/

Richelle K, Arch M, Vanessa D, & Mark G. Changes in Age at Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the United States, 1988 to 2000. National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information. January 2005. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1466782/ 

Sarah D. Inflammation: What Is It, and how can my diet and behavior affect it? American Society for Nutrition. March 16, 2018. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://nutrition.org/inflammation-what-is-it-and-how-can-my-diet-and-behavior-affect-it/

The John Hopkins University. Fight Inflammation to Help Prevent Heart Disease. John Hopkins Medicine. 2024. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fight-inflammation-to-help-prevent-heart-disease

Zahraa B, Marloes N, Aya M, & Negar N. The Gut Microbiotia and Inflammation: An Overview. National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information. October 19, 2020. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7589951/ 

In this brief episode you'll hear how widespread chronic disease is globally and in the US. The most common chronic diseases and their risk factors are discussed.

Take-away cards and further info at gofoodwell.com!

References for episode content:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2019 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. www.ahrq.gov. Published 2019. https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqdr19/index.html

Ansah JP, Chiu CT. Projecting the chronic disease burden among the adult population in the United States using a multi-state population model. Frontiers in Public Health. 2023;10. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1082183

Bennett JM, Reeves G, Billman GE, Sturmberg JP. Inflammation-Nature's Way to Efficiently Respond to All Types of Challenges: Implications for Understanding and Managing "the Epidemic" of Chronic Diseases. Front Med (Lausanne). 2018;5:316. Published 2018 Nov 27. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00316

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Chronic Diseases | CDC. www.cdc.gov. Published 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm#:~:text=Chronic%20 diseases%20are%20defined%20 broadly

Dr. Mark Hyman. Food Fix. Hachette UK; 2020.

Holman HR. The Relation of the Chronic Disease Epidemic to the Health Care Crisis. ACR Open Rheumatology. 2020;2(3):167-173. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11114

Phillips CM, Chen LW, Heude B, et al. Dietary Inflammatory Index and Non-Communicable Disease Risk: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1873. Published 2019 Aug 12. doi:10.3390/nu11081873