Practical Nutrition

Today we will discuss a requested topic - food additives. For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Our ancestors used salt to preserve meats and fish, added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods, preserved fruit with sugar, and pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenient, colorful and affordable. Food additives and advances in technology help make that possible.

This episode will provide you with helpful background information about food and color additives: what they are, why they are used in foods and how they are regulated for safe use. Tune in to find out more!

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

You’ve heard the saying, “Mindset is everything.” And we think that’s true! Especially when talking about your health. The mindset that you have towards nutrition, your body, and activity will affect the choices that you make on a daily basis. Tune it to find out! Scroll for the links to the books we mentioned in this podast.

The Book of Joy - https://www.amazon.com/Book-Dalai-Tutu-Desmond-Lama/dp/178633044X/ref=asc_df_178633044X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=346678714779&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4899667976939362412&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020610&hvtargid=pla-406475559335&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=72499260920&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=346678714779&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4899667976939362412&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020610&hvtargid=pla-406475559335

1% Better - https://www.amazon.com/1-Better-Reaching-Full-Potential-ebook/dp/B08V8JKNFK/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1XCIIX9B5BU4U&keywords=1%25+better&qid=1651685407&s=books&sprefix=1%25+better%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-2

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

“Bloating” seems to be a term used often to describe a certain feeling after eating, or really any time of day.  According to Johns Hopkins, as many as 1 in 3 of otherwise healthy people complain of occasional abdominal bloating. A large number of Americans say they suffer from this regularly, even when they haven't eaten a large meal. In some cases, bloating can become severe enough that it causes distention, or a noticeable swelling of the abdomen. This feeling is often tied to not only what you eat, but how you eat. Sometimes a few simple changes can make the difference!  When thinking about bloating, it is generally defined as “a condition where the belly feels full and tight, often due to gas”. But let’s break this down. What is it? Is it really just gas? What causes it? What is normal vs abnormal? And what can we do to potentially prevent it?

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

“Get Fit with a continuous glucose monitor. Ditch the scale. Get a CGM.” Is this the next big thing?  We all love gadgets and everyone wants to find that missing piece that will help them get to their goals.  Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM for short) is what we are going to be talking about today and this is such an interesting topic!

CGM is not a brand new technology-it has been available commercially since 2000 to help people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar, medications, and prevent hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar that can be fatal).  It is actually pretty cool-a small sensor is inserted under your skin usually in the arm or mid-section. The sensor continually tests your blood sugar and wirelessly transmits the information to your smartphone or other device. Some systems automatically adjust medication based on the reading. Many will alert a patient or caregiver if blood sugar is getting too low. These are great little machines that are associated with improving the outcomes of diabetes, such as better Hgb A1c levels and decreased bouts of hypoglycemia. However, are they useful, necessary and worth the money for people without diabetes? Today, we will have a discussion about what information we have so you can make an informed choice.

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

For any parents with kids, teachers, health care workers, or anyone that used to be a kid… this topic could help you! Getting kids to be interested in a healthy lifestyle is easier said than done. Parents can definitely attest to this! It is important to know that no parent is perfect when it comes to feeding their kid, and no kid is perfect when it comes to eating. Sometimes, all you can do as a parent is your best! This episode is meant to empower you with information in case you want to use it as a tool. Above all, kids need love and stability to achieve their best - nutrition is just one component of that. Lead by example and teach your kids the life skills needed for a healthy lifestyle so they can live long, healthy, happy lives. Let’s talk about some tips for addressing these situations with your nutrition tool box loaded!

Follow us on social media: 

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

In one of our previous podcasts, we talked about rationalizing unhealthy behaviors. Remember…we all do this! It’s human nature to make our own self feel better about the choices we make. We told you that if your habits tend to fall on the unhealthy side more often than the healthy side, then it’s time to start thinking about ways to change those unhealthy behaviors. Today, we are going to tell you what we think the most effective ways to change unhealthy behaviors are. If you’re ready to take that next step, then listen up, this podcast is for you!

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Today’s topic is something that we can all relate to. Have you ever gotten to the grocery store check-out line, only to have your jaw drop at the total of your grocery bill?? With food costs rising, it seems to be more and more difficult to stay within budget at the store. This is especially true if you have a lot of mouths to feed. Sometimes it can seem impossible to keep grocery bills down while fulfilling your goals of a healthy lifestyle. You hear us dietitians talk a lot about adapting a healthier lifestyle. Most people know that we need to eat more fruits and veggies, have less sugar, eat out less, etc. However, one topic that can sometimes be skipped over is the potential expense of eating healthy. Sometimes having the funds to buy organic produce, wild caught salmon, the high-end granola bars, etc. is just not feasible when money gets tight. So today we are going to discuss “ballin’ on a budget”. How to eat healthy for less money, how to shop at the grocery store, and we will answer the question that everyone wonders...is eating healthier really more expensive?

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Twitter - AYBspringfield

Staying well hydrated is important for many reasons, such as helping you feel better, increasing your energy, and helping your body function properly. Water has many roles in the body such as: assisting digestion and normal bowel function, helps deliver oxygen, regulates body temperature, cushions your joints, brain, spinal cord and fetus if you are pregnant, balances body chemicals by assisting with hormone production, and helps your body perform at its best.

Many people do not do a good job drinking water throughout the day, hence the plethora of products out there to help you stay hydrated. Electrolyte water is a growing market and in 2021, sales reached over 1.4 billion dollars, with expected growth over the next few years. Today we will go over the science behind electrolyte water and what to look for if you buy it. Tune in to find out more!

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield

Whether you’ve realized it or not, you have probably heard about some type of adaptogenic supplement… mushrooms, herbs, roots, grasses, seeds, powders, pills- the list goes on and on. As registered dietitians, we always encourage achieving your health and nutrition goals from food first and not from supplements. We have the research to prove that there is no supplement regimen that can match a healthy diet or regular physical activity! Today we are here to discuss the research related to adaptogenic supplements - what they are, how they work, and are they really worth the hype? Tune in to find out!

*Always consult with your doctor and healthcare team before experimenting with or introducing alternative herbal treatments into your routine as they can interact with certain medications and cause serious side effects, and should never be used in pregnant or breastfeeding women. 

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Achieving Your Best

Instagram: aybspringfield

We are officially in our 2nd month of the new year. According to Forbes, nearly 80% of you have given up on your New Year’s resolution by now. Research conducted on the app ‘Strava’, using over 800 million user-logged activities, predicted that the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year’s resolution is January 19th. Strava has actually named January 19th “Quitters Day”. With all of this being said, it sounds like you all may be struggling with motivation right about now.

All people are drawn to some form of motivation, whether it be intrinsic, extrinsic, or a combination of both. People who are intrinsically motivated do something because they find it interesting or inherently satisfying. People who are extrinsically motivated do something because they are seeking some form of reward, they’re avoiding a ‘punishment’, or are seeking to achieve some form of valued outcome. Did you know that the type of motivation you have to achieve a goal can affect the outcome? Today, we’re going to talk about the different types of motivation and why it matters.

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - Achieving Your Best

Instagram - aybspringfield