Practical Nutrition

As dietitians and exercise professionals, we receive many questions about various diets, meal plans, fads, workouts, research, books, blogs, recipes and the list goes on and on. Some things we are consistently asked about is “what do you think of x product?” or “which brand of x do you recommend?” These questions are 100% valid! The food industry can be very tricky, and sometimes it can be challenging to navigate which products to purchase, what are healthy choices and what is potentially a selling scam. In 2020 alone, roughly 20,300 new products came onto the market! Food companies use many buzzwords or phrases to get you to buy their products such as “2 x the protein” or  “keto friendly”. Today, we are going to break down various products and help you to decide if you should purchase “this” product vs “that” product. 

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Happy 2022! Today, we are going to talk about 10 trends we are seeing for nutrition for the new year. Trends are different from fads because trends are more a direction that we are headed and continue going for longer vs a fad that is usually short lived. We are not going to dive into a lot of research on each of these because we could do a whole podcast on each one, and we will cover some of these topics in the future!  

1. Sustainability  

2. Nutrition to help you age well  

3. Plant based eating  

4. Eating to support your immune system  

5. Sea veggies  

6. Quality food  

7. Intuitive Eating  

8. Meal prep  

9. Local, seasonal, and regional foods  

10. Changing negative COVID related habits and maintaining positive ones  

Carbon Footprint Calculator - https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator// 

Blue Zone Cook Book - https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Zones-Kitchen-Recipes-Live/dp/1426220138/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAiAlfqOBhAeEiwAYi43F7hMyoaSrGLWUz0l7CY-kfACz9L6sRiPB9UY-BglT56HLe0_q7aRNxoC7CgQAvD_BwE&hvadid=409953085629&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9060613&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12489709438308526473&hvtargid=kwd-187498615238&hydadcr=16157_11423186&keywords=blue+zone+cookbook&qid=1642020682&sr=8-1 

Blue Zone Quiz - https://apps.bluezones.com/en/vitality/survey  

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On the 15th day of Christmas my dietitian gave to me… 10 tips for holiday health accountability. The holidays are a joyful time of year filled with family, friends, parties, cheesy Christmas movies, and of course- delicious foods, sweets, and beverages. It’s a time when we put aside our woes… and sometimes our nutrition and fitness routines. A 2015 study by Harvard University found that Americans eat -on average- an excess of 200 calories per day within the 5 week period leading up to New Year’s- causing an average weight gain of 4.5 pounds. A piece of pie here, some eggnog there, a butter cookie before bed, a candy cane after lunch… That doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quickly. And few people shed the weight post-holidays as quickly as they put it on. So if you’ve been successful thus far on your health journey to maintain or lose weight, how can you still enjoy the holiday festivities without feeling like you have deprived yourself or jumped ship in nutrition and exercise? We are here to help! Tune in to find out more!

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Currently, 82% of the US population has a social media profile, about 223 million people. Whereas in 2008, only 10% of people used social media. If you’ve been on social media lately, you might have noticed a few…or many, posts about food. It’s been estimated that the term “#food” is used on Instagram in 250 million posts each month. It may be a fancy photo of a nice restaurant meal, your “foodie” friend’s daily meal picture, an update on so-and-so’s keto diet journey, or greasy late-night fast-food runs. Whatever the post is, you probably know more than you need to about some of your follower’s eating habits. In fact, they may have a bigger impact on shaping your own eating habits than you think. Tune in to find out!

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Today is a special day…this is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts. It is something that is part of our everyday life…and it is….COFFEE! Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the US and the world! In the US alone, 64% of adults consume coffee every day, averaging roughly 3 cups. This rounds out to about 400 million cups of coffee consumed per day and 146 billion cups per year across the US. Also interesting to note that 66% of women drink coffee every day, compared to only 62% of men. Of those that drink coffee, only about 30% take their cup straight black in the morning (aka no cream or sugar). As you can see, coffee is a very popular beverage to have in the mornings to help you wake up, or for some to sip on throughout the day. So, what’s the hype about coffee? Is it good for us? Is it just a vessel for too many calories and too much sugar? What the hell do we order at Starbucks? Tune in to find out more!  

Here are some of our favorite SWMO local coffee shops: Architect, Classic Rock, Dancing Mule, Mug Shots, Black Lab, Coffee Ethic, Kingdom, Mudhouse, Travellers, Roots, Rove Coffee, Neighbors Mill, Flannel Cup  

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We have all been there... Made a decision that made us feel frustrated and then rationalized why we made the decision in order to help ourselves feel better. Today’s topic is not about us shaming anyone or making you feel bad. We want to help you understand this behavior and notice if you are in the habit of letting yourself rationalize unhealthy habits. If you think you don’t do this, think again - WE ALL DO THIS in some way, shape, or form. We will discuss some of these tactics so you can be aware of them and recognize when you are doing it. Then, you can try to redirect yourself so you can stay on track more consistently. Remember, we don’t recommend trying to be perfect - it's all about balance. But if your habits are tipped towards more unhealthy than healthy behaviors, then it may be time to think about whether you are allowing yourself to rationalize unhealthy habits too often.   

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Did you know that skin is the largest organ in your body? It is a living, evolving tissue that requires as much care as our other tissues. We put our skin through a lot- exposure to UV rays, chemicals, environmental toxins, polluted air, and more. If you or someone you know has been struggling with acne, premature aging, rashes, or other skin issues - consider that diet is a major factor in the health of our skin! It’s never too late to start protecting or improving your skin. So how can we do that with food? Tune in to find out!  

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A few weeks ago, we talked about challenges related to eating out and the psychology behind social eating. We gave you 4 take home tips: have a plan, be mindful, strategize, and try to be social without eating. Today we are going to take it one step further and give you tips on ordering when eating at restaurants. First and foremost, a disclaimer:

You CAN order whatever you want, however, we know that eating out is typically part of a normal weekly routine – whether it’s not wanting to cook, a date night, socializing, or whatever the reason is – we want you all to be able to go into these situations stress free and with a plan. If your plan is to simply enjoy your experience, then enjoy your experience, however if you need some tips to stay on track, then listen up, because that’s what we’re talking about today!

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Today on Practical Nutrition, we are switching things up! We have someone very special with us, Alix's husband a former MSU football player, Riley Shantz. He is joining us today to share his experiences and journey with nutrition, health, exercise, etc. As we know, everyone has a different experience and goals with their health. Whether it's decreasing their risk of chronic disease, adding more muscle, building healthy eating habits, or losing body fat - everyone has their own journey. Today, we dove into Riley's journey which focuses on his original goal of wanting to lose weight after being a college athlete. Tune in to find out more!

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Turmeric is used as a spice and natural food color that gives food yellow or orange colors. It is in the ginger family and has also been used medicinally all over the world, especially traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, for thousands of years due to its antioxidant, anticancer, anti mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Turmeric is also used all over the world in curries, teas, cosmetics, mustard, cheese, supplements, and in many other foods. Let’s dive into more information to determine whether or not turmeric is worthy of the hype. Tune in to find out more!

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