She is one of the experts that looks at the products that Ritzfit finds to offer to their clients.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a registered dietician. I live in northern California. My primary job is working at a hospital taking care of very acutely ill patients all day. I love it and the medical aspect of it but I also wanted to expand and work a little bit on the prevention side in terms of
That’s where I started my Instagram page
That’s how I connected with Mark from Ritzfit! And Jackie as well.
I think one of the things listeners, we’ve been talking about the science of food, it’s nice to have another resource if you are a market farmer and someone comes up to you and says there’s no difference or reason to pay the price of organic food.
I met a farmer at the market the other day I asked to do an interview with me, and he said oh there’s no difference between an organic farm and conventionally raised food. And it was extra funny because I had these peas for people to try on my table and a friend tasted one and she was like oh, I already bought some she was like oh these are so much tastier! So it’s nice to have another resource for clients, friends, family…
I have a lot of food allergies. When I was a little kid I was always aware of what could potentionally hurt you or kill you so I was always reading nutrition facts and ingredients and labels. When I was in middle school I was really small and not growing and thriving like a normal child should.
I wasn’t having to skip a week of school for example. That’s when I realized food can not only harm you but it can actually heal you and be beneficial for your health as well.
So I’ve had this saga of interest in food and a very intimate knowledge of the power of food. I’ve always loved science. I did my undergrad at UCLA. Initially I was thinking about becoming a doctor and finding the cure for childhood allergies! But after various research experiences I realized I didn’t love working in the lab as much as I loved working with people.
The whole field of nutrition and dietetics appealed to me because it combined those interests of science and nutrition as well as the aspect of working with people
Now I’m back in northern CA. Through all of that. There are many facets field of nutrition. My main day job is very clinical, working with drs and pharmacists
I worked a lot in the public health realm where people are pushing for expansion of farmers markets in East LA. Promotion of local homegrown food in places where people don’t even have access to normal grocery stores!
I love that facet as well because it brings together
CA there are so many different farms
plethora of fresh food available as you drive to southern ca and back
It was always interesting to have the accessibility between the food and people that need it.
I still love going to the farmer’s markets here locally!
Another ironic thing is here’s these food deserts and then the majority of food in our country is grown in California. Most of my listeners are in California.
talking to the people there…
I love my local farmer’s markets! Everything’s so fresh it’s my favorite. It’s my favorite thing to do on Saturday morning! I head straight to the
I love those! I usually take a lap or two around first and scout out who’s there
Sometimes I have a list of things I specifically need
Other times I just go but I love
It’s an experience that allows me to be creative and think of new things I can do in the kitchen if I never used them before.
Let’s say your talking to one of your patients who never goes to the farmer’s market and doesn’t know anything about nutrition. What would be the first step, try some new vegetables?
Usually if I’m just talking about healthy eating and a sustainable diet that’s very general. I’m usually pushing vegetables asking my patients to have half of their plate as vegetables!
People tend to ask
Maybe they’re familiar with only
I tell them there’s so much you can do with that half of your plate
I usually walk them through different options that they may have heard about
Well what about tomatoes? Oh I love tomatoes
What about carrots? Oh, I don’t love carrots ok that’s fine!
ideas of things they might be inclined to do after we do that we can talk about different options for how to prepare those but I also suggest if they have access and have time of trying a new vegetable
out there are delicious
People get stuck in ruts and you’re only eating steamed broccoli every day you’re not going to be excited about that half of your plate so I say think about adding 1 new vegetable suggest going to the Farmer’s Market because that’s where you get the most beautiful produce and hope they get as excited about these types of foods as I do!
At the farmer’s market the best selection of food that’s in season.
For me the tough one is fruit. I could eat vegetables all day long but fruit. I joined this nutrition group instead of pushing a bunch of fruit she was like just eat 2 apples, one banana a week to start. I like those tips add one new vegetable a week into your diet.
It’s really about approaching and meeting the person where they’re at. If they’re dealing with a whole bunch of medical problems
difficult I have to change my whole diet
step by step to make sustainable
Some people can do that complete overall but that’s a small percentage. Most need to go slow and steady to make last.
I wrote this blog post for my teaching/children’s book website called 8 things I wish every kindergarten parent knew but what would be one thing you wish every patient knew. You were talking about prevention more then reactice and that might be more vegetables.
I do push eating more vegetables a lot and if they do its the same vegetable over and over. There’s great value in having a variety of different foods
nutritional profiles
You can’t benefit form that if you are only eating one fruit or vegetable
benefit to a greater extent
increase the variety and volume of fresh produce you’re getting in your diet.
Not focussing on fear of foods.
I’m not allowed to eat that
it’s terrible!
80% eat well have a clean diet
20% food is so much more then it’s nutritional profile
if someone bakes me something that’s delicious and they put a lot of hard work into it but it’s not as maybe as it could be. I’m still gonna have it, because I give myself the leeway
If people are trying to have a healthier lifestyle and they are trying to lose weight an inflammatory diet
difficult to be so so strict
distorted perception of foods
eat more of these things
80% of the time take care of your diet.
I like that a lot.
Do you want to talk about the importance of local food sources?
I think it’s super important for people
I’m lucky that I live in a state where there is so much produce and I want to support the local ag as opposed to the grocery store. There is something about food that is grown close to you, not just carbon foot print but also on a nutritional basis.
There was a study of 2008 or 2009? (idk if this is the study she’s talking about)
There was a study about vitamin C that was conventional organic
in season out of season
organic had slightly higher nutritional profile
seasonal broccoli had so much more almost 2xs as much as broccoli out of season
could have been frozen or grown not in peak season
1/2 the amount of vitamin C compared to the broccoli fresh and close to in season
So much fresher!
a bite of an organic apple in the fall
they are like this is so amazing I never had one so sweet!
This is when you’re supposed to eat it and they didn’t know that made a difference!
I think that’s important because I get in my bubble, I just automatically assume if you’re at the market it’s organic and if your growing a garden you’re not putting chemicals on it.
That’s where I believe a lot of the vendors at the market or dietician at the grocery store can make a difference in terms of educating people
I love when the people at the grocery stand are knowledgable about their products
pasteurized or non-pastuerized
Which makes a big difference
Maybe have gotten a transplant and are very concerned about immuno surperessent
people to be able to educate others about how great their crops are. If you have done research about how great their crops are
research in broccoli
draw people in and create a conversation Wow! not only does this taste good but it’s good for you!
Lots of great resources where you can learn this info
goverenment
American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) that’s a great resource and a very reputable resource to go to!
Look at wow! Maybe cherries can have this phyto-chemical that can reduce this risk of cancer or I love what they do. AICR.org
You can look up various different types of produce and see what a reputable health organization has to say about their health benefit
It’s not a for sure statement, I am prescribing you that your health will follow
this may cause that.
It’s interesting and people really love that! If we can get them excited of the power of food!
One thing I’m curious about almonds, I always feel so guilty every time I buy almond milk or butter, or almonds. What is pasteruization?
pasteruization is just a process
heat treated
hot heat
very short time to kill
that could potentially kill food borne disease
Some of my patients that are immune suppressed can not have un-pasteurized food. I don’t want them to get a food borne illness.
a little tid bit if you’re having fresh squeezed juice for the majority of the population there’s always a risk that it’s
IT’s all interesting for me, our goal has been to grow enough for us or at least supplement our produce bill and eat as healthy as we can. I tried to take some food to the farmer’s market and then Saturday I did a Facebook Live at the Farmer’s Market in Kalispell to see what’s there.
I also always tell people I would be a horrible CSA customer to be in the same day same time every week, I’m an on demand mobile girl going to the farmer’s market or a CSA is just not for me. And looking at all the food those people grow IDK how they do it?! Mike does so much work to grow for 2 of us. I can’t imagine feeding 100 families?!
It kind of depends on the season
in the summer I love my fresh produce
But come Fall and Winter I eat a lot of roasted vegetables and vegetable soups that are warming and comforting
Almost every Sunday afternoon I’m chopping vegetables and sticking four sheet pans in my oven
that’s my easiest thing to do for me for MEAL Prepping
then I have fresh veggies ready for me
that’s one of my favorite things to do especially in the cooler months.
Do you use a cookie sheet?
use avacado oil that has a really high smoke point I feel comfortable doing it on high heat
cooked
brussel sprouts and roasted beets
take half an hour
cook in maybe 15 minutes.
I love using spices when I can
favorite things
chop up some cauliflower
golden color
adds a pop to every dish
thats one example for you
I like to incorporate more spices wherever.
I feel like I keep hearing people talking about turmeric and I like that so much better cooking with it!
it’s the plant seeds or leaves or bark that’s been ground down
very potent
I love using things like
very powerful in terms of their health benefits
make your produce all that much more appetizing to your
I like being able to experiment in the kitchen
basic looking techniques doesn’t take much more to add a pinch of this or that!
I think listeners will like this!
Lots of fun!
A favorite internet resource?
I do really like ARCR.org focusing on nutrition and cancer prevention which people are interested in. It’ s really powerful.
I do a lot of podmed
primary literature
I use that a lot for my own...