Are your New Year's resolutions setting you up for success or just another cycle of diet culture? Before you jump into the latest trend, discover what nutrition recommendations actually work for lasting health. It's time to pull back the curtain on what's really required for sustainable habits in 2026.

In this episode of Salad With a Side of Fries, host Jenn Trepeck is joined by Tara Schmidt, registered dietitian and Instructor of Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, to cut through the noise of fad diets and quick fixes. Together, they explore evidence-based nutrition, the truth about GLP-1 medications, why weight management shouldn't focus solely on the scale, and how to build lifestyle changes that actually last beyond January.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why your weight loss goals shouldn't focus on the number on the scale and what health metrics actually matter for long-term wellness and disease prevention

✅ The truth about popular trends like 75 Hard, macro counting, low-carb diets, and GLP-1 medications—when they work, when they don't, and what's missing from the conversation

✅ How to identify your personal barriers to change and create sustainable habits using the strategies that have worked for you in the past (hint: it's called the You Plan)

✅ What longevity strategies and evidence-based nutrition principles you should actually focus on in 2026, including sleep, strength training, and nourishment over restriction

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight-loss topics, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding nutrition and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Challenging diet culture in 2026 with Tara Schmidt from Mayo Clinic

06:24 How growing up in the 90s diet culture shaped Tara's approach to nutrition recommendations and patient care

08:34 Deconstructing weight bias in resolutions and why your weight is just a number, not a measure of health

12:12 Truth bombs on popular trends: 75 Hard, low-carb diets, and macro counting—when they help and when they harm

18:32 Tara’s advice when someone isn’t losing weight each week, and the important metrics

22:11 Deep dive into GLP-1 medications: the tool versus magic pill debate and why lifestyle changes still matter

28:38 Getting your nutrients from fruits, veggies and other supplements

32:26 Where to start with health goals in 2026: asking better questions about what will make you feel better and longevity strategies that matter: sleep, strength training and mindfulness

36:40 Planning for barriers and creating backup strategies so sustainable habits stick when life happens

39:34 Why balance is a verb, not a destination, and how to keep adjusting your approach in real time

41:00 Creating your personalized nutrition plan using what's worked for you before

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Your weight is simply your gravitational pull—not a measure of your worth or health. Focus on body composition, sleep quality, energy levels, and other health metrics that actually indicate wellness rather than obsessing over scale numbers.

💎 Popular programs like 75 Hard and trends like macro counting can work for some people, but ask yourself why you're doing them and whether they're sustainable habits you can maintain long-term, not just until your wedding or vacation.

💎 GLP-1 medications are tools, not magic pills—they work best when combined with nutrition recommendations, strength training, and lifestyle changes. Without proper support and education, people risk nutritional deficiencies and regaining weight.

💎 The best weight management plan is the one you create for yourself based on what's worked in your past, adapted for your current life, and flexible enough to adjust when barriers arise—call it the You Plan.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Tara Schmidt is a registered dietitian and an instructor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As the lead dietitian for the Mayo Clinic Diet, she provides evidence-based guidance to help individuals develop sustainable, realistic strategies for long-term health. She also hosts Mayo Clinic On Nutrition, a podcast that dives into current nutrition research and practical weight-management tips, and she lends her expertise as the Medical Editor for the Nutrition & Fitness channel at Mayo Clinic Press.

RESOURCES:

Become a Happy Healthy Hub Member

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

About Uncomplicating Wellness

Text ‘Book’ to 833-801-0500

Bone Health and the Problem with Bone Density Scans (Feat. Dr. John Neustadt)

GUEST RESOURCES:

Tara Schmidt - LinkedIn

Mayo Clinic on Nutrition - Podcast

Mayo Clinic Diet - Website

Mayo Clinic Press - Instagram

Mayo Clinic Press - Facebook

QUOTES:

08:34 "Your weight is simply your gravitational pull and nothing else. When you're on your deathbed, do you think you're gonna be like, God, I really wish I was 135 instead of 138?" - Tara Schmidt

10:25 "Health isn't a number. Zero diseases exist only in bigger bodies. Zero." - Jenn Trepeck

10:54 “Part of that mental connection is that there's a perception that if someone is obese, it's their fault or their problem.” - Jenn Trepeck

19:49 "I am more concerned about the person who gets from where they are to where they want to be in that straight line. Because if it's that straight line, we haven't learned the lessons and the tools to help us stay there." - Jenn Trepeck

29:08 "Can we eat better before we supplement? There is a role for supplements if you need them, but I'm talking to the other 99% of the people. Can we just eat some fruits and veggies first before we jump to supplements?" - Tara Schmidt

36:48 "A lot of times people will say, well, I just need to. And I say this with love, that is not a plan." - Jenn Trepeck

SEO KEYWORDS:

Jenn Trepeck, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Nutrition Nugget, Health Coach, Weight Loss For Real Life, Nutrition Recommendations, Weight Management, Diet Culture, New Year Resolutions, Registered Dietitian, Mayo Clinic Diet, GLP-1 Medications, Body Composition, Macro Counting, Weight Loss Goals, Sustainable Habits, Evidence-Based Nutrition, Health Metrics, Lifestyle Changes, Balance As A Verb, Longevity Strategies, What Nutrition Changes Are Really Required Right Now, How To Create Sustainable Weight Management Plans, Obesity Bias, Weight Bias, Medical Nutrition Therapy, Bariatric Surgery, Goal Weight, Scale Obsession, Mental Health And Nutrition, Nutrition Science, Health Coach, Chronic Disease Management, Blood Pressure Medication, Metabolic Health, Body Fat Percentage, Waist Circumference, Nutrition Counseling, Food Psychology, Mindful Eating, Stress Management, Sleep Quality, Strength Training, Muscle Health, Bone Health, Cognitive Health, Nourishment Strategies, Barrier Planning, Backup Strategies, Realistic Expectations, Nutrition Education, Anti-Diet Approach, Personalized Nutrition Plans

[00:00:24] Okay. Like if you have a nice medical nutrition therapy answer for me, we can count macros. But if it's because like you saw your cousin's boyfriend's dog walker, do it. Let's talk more. Friend end.

[00:00:44] We're here to clear up the myths. Misinformation, bad science and marketing to teach you how to eat and how to cheat. Are you ready? I'm having salad with a side of fries. Hey friend. Welcome back to Salad with a side of fries. I'm [00:01:00] Jenn Trepeck, your host and health coach here with you every week for wellness without the weirdness.

[00:01:40] Just by calling it a resolution. Nevertheless, I appreciate a time when we rethink, when we assess and we plan and. As I think about 2025, I think one of the things that 2025, I [00:02:00] don't know that I learned this in 2025, but I think 2025 like confirmed for me that there is no shortage of information, of health information of diets and supplements and influencers or even friends who have opinions about what they think we need to do.

[00:02:50] Yes, that Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota as the lead dietician for the Mayo Clinic Diet. She provides guidance rooted in evidence-based principles, [00:03:00] helping individuals develop sustainable and realistic strategies for long-term health. She also hosts Mayo Clinic on Nutrition, a podcast that dives into current nutrition research and practical weight management tips, and she lends her expertise as the medical editor of the Nutrition and Fitness Channel for Mayo Clinic Press.

[00:03:24] Tara Schmidt: Schmidt. Oh, that was so nice. Thank you, Jen. It's awesome to hang out with you again. Yes, I'm so

[00:03:40] So friends join us in the Happy, healthy Hub. Being a member of the Hub is frankly the next best thing to working with me. As your health coach, you get a recipe every week delivered to your inbox. You get curated articles and additional discounts from me and our partners interview episodes like this one.

[00:04:24] So it's the whole year for $120, which becomes $10 a month. So, by the way, your recipe this week is for lemon, garlic roasted broccoli salad. That's a mouthful. I know. I saw your base. That sounds so good. You're like, yum. It is prime season for broccoli. Also, it has pomegranate seeds and pine nuts in it. So this is not your typical salad or typical side dish.

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[00:06:08] So I'm really curious, like what role do you think growing up in diet culture plays into your work now?

[00:06:24] I swear I did at a very young age, every single one of those things. And like same parents, unknowing parents might have known, kind of let me do my own thing, like let me fail. I was a vegetarian for like 48 hours and they're like, okay, drew. I'm like, sounds good. We'll see you on Friday, but I think it helps me.

[00:07:11] I was like, okay, sounds good.

[00:07:32] And you know, our objective today is really in pulling back the curtain on what's truly recommended right now. And this is the moment of inevitably every year. New Year's resolutions. Right. They're on the mind, whether you call them that or anything else. Sure. It doesn't really matter. Right. It's this moment of we think about this and I think speaking of diet culture, [00:08:00] maybe there's no bigger place that diet culture shows its.

[00:08:12] Tara Schmidt: New year, new me. Exactly. Like you have to be a new bullshit person next year. Yeah. Yeah. Like can I just be the same me? Maybe a little more hydrated? That's great. But

[00:08:34] Tara Schmidt: to know?

[00:08:57] Like, go pee, please, and. You'll be fine. [00:09:00] What does it matter? Now I also like help people lose weight. So I don't want anyone to think like, wait this script, right? Same. Listen,

[00:09:12] Tara Schmidt: Correct. And you can want to change your weight. I would rather you want to change your health and your weight, be like a secondary outcome of that.

[00:09:42] Like do you need bariatric surgery or do you wanna just lose a few pounds? Like I ask that question sometimes. I would never say the word goal weight, but it's helpful for me to understand. But other than that, like I do not care how many pounds you are when you step on a scale. I just don't care. [00:10:00] Like what does it matter?

[00:10:25] Zero.

[00:10:52] Jenn Trepeck: And to add to that, I also think part of that obsession, part of that [00:11:00] mental connection is that there's a perception that someone having obesity, it's their fault or their problem.

[00:11:23] Unfortunately, I always tell people like. Weight is not the equivalent of health. Like having a high weight does not mean poor health. Having a low weight does not mean having good health. The opposite of those can exist. You can be malnourished in a larger body. You can be overly nourished in a small, you know what I mean?

[00:11:51] Jenn Trepeck: And so, because everybody is bombarded with. These messages and with that magic [00:12:00] answers for their new year plan. Of course, let's talk about a few of the things that people are likely hearing about and my hope is that we can maybe like rapid fire some truth bombs.

[00:12:12] Jenn Trepeck: let's do it. Okay. So some that come to mind that I hear people or I see even in my social media. I'm curious to get your take and I'm gonna try to make this as rapid fire as possible. Alright. 75 hard, if that

[00:12:45] Like I'm cool with all of like the big concepts of 75 hard. I am not okay just personally or like within my values as a dietician of you having to type in, I failed. If you did not [00:13:00] make it to day 75, like you have to actually type that in into the app, is my understanding. And that doesn't sit well with me.

[00:13:29] Like if that's the kind of coach you want, I'm okay with that. And maybe I'm too soft for you, but as someone who typically tries to speak to like a larger population. The I failed thing doesn't really sit well with me or like the life just happens sometimes. And sometimes you miss one of your 2 45 minute sessions of exercise 'cause you have a sick kid and your dog barfed and.

[00:14:01] Jenn Trepeck: peeve is that if you have that day where the second 45 minute workout or 60 minute workout didn't happen, their guidelines say Start over at zero. Yeah. And I don't subscribe to that idea that everything else that happened before, that crazy hectic day means nothing.

[00:14:42] I can handle that. I can like put my bias in my back pocket and work on it. I worry a little bit of course nutritionally about like, how's your fiber looking? Like, are you needing any fruit? Like how balanced is your diet? And you can do low carb in a healthful way. You can do it in, in a healthy way. Of course, we [00:15:00] do it in the clinic in some cases when it's necessary or when the patient just is really motivated to do so.

[00:15:26] Yes. And usually the answer's no. Like what's you gonna do on Thanksgiving next year? What's you gonna do on your kid's birthday? Whatcha gonna tell? Like I can

[00:15:46] Agree. And, and if that's what we're talking about, if we're gonna go low grains and starches. I'm on board if we're gonna throw out vegetables and fruit, because those are carbohydrates, I'm not so on board.

[00:16:09] And what do you think of when I say the word carbohydrate? Yeah, counting macros, if that level of detail. Helps you to make the right decision. Okay? Again, population-wise, probably not necessary. So again, like there's a person or a patient or that I can like see in all of these that may, first of all, they have to want to do it, not me.

[00:16:53] And also think of it more eloquently, but. What's the point, right? Like or the why, maybe why is a better [00:17:00] question. Like yes. What? Why are you doing that? Okay. Well, it really helps me to make sure I get enough protein. It really helps me to not be mindful or be more mindful of getting adequate fat. Okay.

[00:17:25] Jenn Trepeck: and I laugh because I know and I hear the same things. And the piece on that, to me it the same as yours.

[00:17:47] Tara Schmidt: Yeah, it was points and then it was calories, and now it's choices. I know there's a million words for it. And again, each of those.

[00:18:13] Gotta work back on you, everybody, right? Yes. And that's what I'm here for, like as a dietician, like, and we're like, wait, aren't you supposed to tell me what to do? And I'm like, no, no, no, you gotta talk. Yeah.

[00:18:31] Tara Schmidt: Oh, friend. Like, first of all, I hug them. A lot of people cry in my office. Things take time. When we look at suggested rate of weight loss, we look at a half a pound to two pounds per week, which means that at the end of a month, if you've lost two pounds, we celebrate it, but guess what? You may have lost zero and then one, and then you gained two, and then you lost three.

[00:19:13] Jenn Trepeck: A thousand percent. I often say to people like, I am more concerned about the person who gets from where they are to where they wanna be in that straight line.

[00:19:30] Tara Schmidt: Yeah, that's a good point. And should that person weigh themselves less. Like if someone is coming into my office and saying like, I didn't lose weight from yesterday, or I didn't lose weight from last Monday, and now I'm panicking, or now I wanna give up.

[00:19:48] Jenn Trepeck: everybody divorce

[00:19:52] Jenn Trepeck: It is the worst metric of our progress. It is also a lagging metric, like it is the last thing to catch up [00:20:00] to. Yeah. The steps

[00:20:01] Jenn Trepeck: day. Right.

[00:20:03] And guess what? Somewhat could have gone and had the best 75 days ever and their health is improved and their metrics are improved and their labs are improved and their mood and their sleep and like name all the things. But if the scale didn't move, that person feels horrendous. They feel like a failure.

[00:20:42] You're like, they don't care though. So again, like chuck it out the window. Find something else to measure. Yes.

[00:21:01] Tara Schmidt: I think we definitely know that body composition is a much more meaningful tool.

[00:21:24] Look like they have overweight or obesity and you know, that person is healthier than any of us in the room. Opposite of that, you can also think of someone who is quote unquote normal weight. They have what you can call normal weight obesity, where they may have metabolic syndrome or where their body composition, their body fat to lean mass ratio is off and they have elevated blood sugar and their waist circumference isn't appropriate.

[00:21:55] Jenn Trepeck: my take on that. So I'm gonna say the thing that I feel like is probably [00:22:00] like what somebody is thinking. I'm so nervous right now, but no. Speaking of Athlete Serena Williams. Yes, Serena Williams and Ro, I got asked this question yesterday.

[00:22:31] Tara Schmidt: What do you say? I say it is one. Tool tool that is appropriate to go into some people's toolbox. And I give this really corny analogy, which I do every single time. I'm asked about GLP ones, which is think about any other medication for a chronic disease. If you have high blood pressure, I still want you doing a dash.

[00:23:18] So I think that's what GLP ones. Can be, and were intended to be for people who are being mindful of their diet. It's in the guidelines, it's in the prescribing guidelines, and it was also in the clinical trials where people had a energy controlled diet. They were exercising and they got some help, some pretty meaningful help from a drug that helped them be successful in decreasing their health risk.

[00:23:53] Jenn Trepeck: Like how do we, what do we think of anything is okay. Like I just want your, you know, your honest opinion because I think it's helpful for people to [00:24:00] hear it. And I think the challenge is not in the drug itself. The challenge is in our perception of what the pharmaceutical is going to do and what it allows us to do.

[00:24:33] Tara Schmidt: And that's my greatest concern with the wider spread access to GLP ones. Yes. Without widespread support. And again, like I understand that I live in this like nice little like clinical bubble of like you get a dietician and a doctor and a psychologist, like welcome to Mayo Clinic. But I also know that that's a privilege and not what everyone's getting.

[00:25:09] Those are the people I'm concern about. Maybe got some blood work if that maybe. Yeah. Ideally, hopefully. So those are the people I'm concerned about because yes, they might be successful losing weight and now the scale looks quote unquote better. Again, your words not mine, but what does their nutrition look like?

[00:25:42] Because a lot of people go off 'em. You don't get to stop taking your blood pressure medication, right? Like again, you're the person who takes blood pressure medication. Now your blood pressure's better. You don't go off of it. We're like, yeah, your blood pressure's better. This medication is working for you along with your diet and your [00:26:00] exercise and your stress management.

[00:26:22] The fact that we're all gonna regain and now, does that put us back in those risk buckets or now does that allow for comorbidities to recur? Yeah,

[00:27:01] Give it time. All of these people. Who are not coupling this with an increased level of commitment to some supplementation or an increased level of commitment to nutrition, choices are going to end up with earlier onset osteoporosis and osteopenia. Agree. And thank you for agreeing to me. Yeah, totally.

[00:27:45] And so essentially, if we're not adding to the medications, this increased commitment to understanding the body's nutritional needs, it becomes a function of what are we deciding is health short term, long term? And how [00:28:00] are we sort of following that through?

[00:28:06] Like no one's thinking, oh, I might fracture my hip right in, I dunno, 30 or 40 years. Which, you know, when people break bones in their older age, like how downhill And it's kind of scary. That can be, no one thinks that, but like, wedding coming up, let's, let's

[00:28:24] Tara Schmidt: right.

[00:28:33] Not so rapid fire. Rapid fire. I know, sorry. I was like, I don't think I answered those very rapid

[00:28:49] But like, I, trust me, I know who you are. You exist and supplements can be very meaningful and sometimes you recommend them. I totally get it. I'm talking to like the other [00:29:00] 99% of the people who are like keeping a very specific store in business. Can we just like eat some fruits and veggies first before we jump to supplements?

[00:29:15] Jenn Trepeck: And as somebody who works with supplements in their practice, like Yeah, I do a lot with supplements in my practice. And by the way, there are supplements that help us increase our own GLP one. Like there are a lot of tools out there in the tool belt. It's also a piece of understanding.

[00:29:34] Tara Schmidt: supplement. Precisely,

[00:29:56] Tara Schmidt: Yeah, precisely. A physician that I work with and who's kind of the medical [00:30:00] editor of the Mayo Clinic Diet has always said like. Your weight is an outcome of the habits that you practice. So stop telling me what you want your weight to be and start telling me how you intend to get there. And again, we'll probably talk that I don't want your weight to be the end goal, but in the meantime, let's talk about what you're actually gonna do because you can't wake up in the morning and decide what your weight is going to be.

[00:30:48] Sound good? Absolutely. Alright. You know that feeling when wellness just feels very loud. Every headline says something different. Every influencer [00:31:00] has a new rule and somehow you're left wondering if you're the problem. Well, you're not. You've just been given broken tools. That is why I wrote Uncomplicating Wellness.

[00:31:38] This book is for you. You can find Uncomplicating Wellness wherever books are sold, or text the word book BOOK to 8 3 3 8 0 1 0 5 0 0 to learn more with a clickable link. Again, you'll text the word book BOK to 8, 3 3 8, 0. 0, 5, 0, 0. [00:32:00] Let's move from exhaustion to clarity, from fear to discernment, and from chasing healthy to truly feeling well on your own terms.

[00:32:26] Tara Schmidt: question. A few examples might be what could you implement in your lifestyle that you think would make you feel better?

[00:33:10] These are the rules. No, this, that, or the other thing. Absolutely.

[00:33:25] Tara Schmidt: What's your why? Like why are we doing this? Is it just because you saw it on social media?

[00:33:41] Jenn Trepeck: And then obviously, depending on their answer to that question. You'll make some recommendations, but like, let's say zoom out bigger picture beyond weight related goals, what would you recommend people focus on in 2026, or if they're not sure?

[00:34:14] Tara Schmidt: I would say like, let's, let's look at strategies that can last a really, really long time.

[00:34:50] By doing things that we know we can continue to do. So I think I would think about it from like a longevity lens, which is, I think a little trendy right now as well, but not in a [00:35:00] bad way.

[00:35:11] Right? Some of those things, like if you had a couple of like. Concrete recommendations to say, if you're not sure where to start, play with this. Mm-hmm. What would you say? Sleep.

[00:35:36] And doesn't have to be barbell dumbbell strength training, but like, how are you challenging your muscles? How are you challenging your bones? And like thinking of food more so from like a nourishment standpoint as opposed to a, a diet standpoint or like just a vehicle for whatever it may be. But like, think about nourishing our bodies.

[00:35:58] Jenn Trepeck: Just yes to all of that. [00:36:00] And so, and a lot of that is like a what, right? Like what can we do? And this is what I hear from people, and I said this in talking about what I'm sending our members this week. 'cause a lot of times people will say, well, I just need to, mm-hmm. Right. Well, I just need to go to bed.

[00:36:40] Tara Schmidt: I usually have people talk to me about their barriers because it's not often that someone who comes and sees me hasn't dieted before.

[00:37:09] And not because why did you fail, but like, why didn't that work? What in life happened that whatever strategy you were working on wasn't sustainable? They're like, well, my intention was to do this. And then they do the but thing like, but X, Y, and ZI started really good by doing this, but this, this, and this happened.

[00:37:56] So let's have a backup strategy, or let's figure out if [00:38:00] it doesn't go well on this day, how we can still get up and move the next day. So you have strategies for either preventing the barrier or literally just like getting over said barrier. I don't think people talk about their barriers enough. Yeah.

[00:38:16] Jenn Trepeck: guilty about it. Right. Well, they think start over something's wrong with them. Yeah. That those things exist instead of recognizing that that's reality and we have to plan for that

[00:38:33] The holidays are coming. I'm like, you knew that the holidays always come like this 12 month thing, like happens every year, but they like anticipate that something's going to be different this time. They're like, no, you know it's going to come. You know what your family parties look like. You know how you manage your stress.

[00:39:18] Yeah, like there's going to be a bucket of Halloween candy in my pantry every single November 1st calling my name.

[00:39:40] Will you say more on that? Because I think people think of balance. As a noun, like it's a thing mm-hmm. That you do like to get to.

[00:40:05] You don't just like balance your cheater, totter and then get off. Like, guess what? You're not balanced anymore. So like the balancing teeter-totter is an action that's happening like in real time constantly. Does that make sense? All the time. Yeah.

[00:40:23] Like,

[00:40:30] Jenn Trepeck: the ground. Yeah. Awesome. And I think what I appreciate about everything we've talked about is that it gives people. A frame of reference to say, I can create my plan versus everything that's coming at us and even to remain fluid in that plan.

[00:40:50] Tara Schmidt: that is what I do so often with people when they say like, what diet should I be on? And this is related to weight [00:41:00] management or not, and I'm like, okay, tell me. What's worked for you in the past? I love hearing about what has worked and I also love hearing about what hasn't worked.

[00:41:29] They're disappointed because there's not like a trademark or like a registered little R right behind it. 'cause it doesn't have a name. Like, well that's not, that's not a real thing. I'm like, yeah, it's called the Suzy Plan. Like this is plan. I was just gonna plan, say let's put

[00:41:44] Tara Schmidt: cause the plan is yours.

[00:41:47] Tara Schmidt: And if we go a week or two, or a month or two and one of those bullet points is no longer serving us. Erase it, change it. I don't care. Like no one's watching you, right? Like let's adapt. If you had a kid, [00:42:00] I always do this, like if you had a kid who was learning how to read or learning how to swim or ride a bike and your first strategy was not working, we don't let them quit.

[00:42:19] Jenn Trepeck: A thousand percent. I mean, there's a million analogies of like Yeah. A kid learning to walk or ride a bike. Yeah. Or whatever, you know, all of those things. We don't just like let

[00:42:30] Like, just, just work. Just crawl for the rest of your life. It's

[00:42:33] Tara Schmidt: Yeah. But we expect this like I'm an adult, I should get it right. I'm an expert in this. I've done this a hundred times. But guess what? Some kids take longer to walk than others. It's fine. Some people have barriers, physical or otherwise, that makes it more difficult for them to walk.

[00:42:52] Jenn Trepeck: and let's be clear. No one

[00:43:07] Jenn Trepeck: Alright. Before we go to our rapid fire off topic questions, final thoughts? Something to wrap up.

[00:43:19] Tara Schmidt: learn about nutrition when you were a small person? I don't care if it was your first health class. I don't care if it was elementary school. I don't care what pyramid or plate you remember. Generally speaking, I think people know.

[00:43:54] Like if you all went and did that. Then I wouldn't have to teach you it, but like they're looking like Tara, [00:44:00] like what's the new super food? And I'm like, I don't know. Pick a fruit or a vegetable. Looks like a super food to me. Eat some fish. Sounds great. Put some olive oil in the pan works for me. So like it's very, very basic and I don't want people to think I'm not educated like in food science or in nutrition.

[00:44:39] Everyone's getting enough protein, but not the right kind. Everyone's getting plenty of grains, but not the right kind like it looks like. You need to go back to the basics. Looks like I'm not so boring after all.

[00:44:55] Yeah. If we're doing those foundations going Apple, there's your [00:45:00] biohack a thousand percent. Awesome. All right. It is time for a rapid fire off topic questions. Are you ready? Kind of no pressure. It's totally fine. Okay. What's the best thing you've done for your health this week? What's the naughtiest thing you've done related to your health this week?

[00:45:21] Tara Schmidt: Best thing I did for my health was I was not feeling well. I have some kind of nasty virus. You can probably hear it in my voice. And I asked my husband if I could just didn't ask his permission, but I kind of said like, I need to just like take Tylenol and lay on the couch right now.

[00:46:03] So it was fabulous and I feel better. Thank you very much. I'm with you. Naughtiest thing is, I made Christmas crack, you know what it's like The saltine cracker? Yep. Caramel chocolate thing. I made that for book club. And at book club we drank wine and ate Christmas crack, and you can judge me that I absolutely understand that none of that was red, white, nutritious.

[00:46:49] Talking about how much we hated this month's book. Alright, so

[00:47:00] Tara Schmidt: books. Okay.

[00:47:05] Tara Schmidt: love it.

[00:47:10] Alzheimer's. If you were a superhero,

[00:47:21] Jenn Trepeck: thousand percent. Yeah. We are the same person. All right. What's your biggest pet

[00:47:34] Golden rule. My friends. The internet full of unkind people. Just don't

[00:47:47] Tara Schmidt: might be longevity, this like biohacking, making sure your cells, whatever the injections, the Kardashians are getting the concept of [00:48:00] longevity.

[00:48:02] Jenn Trepeck: Which I'm cool with. Yeah. Generally speaking, as long as we are the foundations in place. Well tar, thank you for being here. Tell everybody how to connect with you. Where to learn more, find your podcast, all the things.

[00:48:19] It's Mayo Clinic on Nutrition. I'm on LinkedIn, Mayo Clinic Press. I know I'm here. I'm here. Everyone, all the places. Lemme know what I can do. All the places. Amazing.

[00:48:39] Tara Schmidt: There's no use in not right?

[00:48:54] Jenn Trepeck: All right, friends. On Friday in this week's bite-sized bonus episode, we're talking [00:49:00] all about the, and so very simply thinking, and instead of this or that.

[00:49:25] And as always, I'm your host, gen Trek. Connect with me on Instagram or all social media. I'm at Gen Tre, J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Please send a message. Website is a salad with a side of fries.com. Pick your platform, send me a message. I love hearing your takeaways, your ideas, your questions. This is also the easiest way to learn more about working with me as your health coach or picking up the book Uncomplicating Wellness.

[00:49:55] Tara Schmidt: Thank you for having me, Jenna. It was a pleasure.

[00:50:11] On top of this week's episode, in full video with behind the scenes pieces, your 24 7, ask Me Anything, you'll get this week's recipe for lemon, garlic, roasted broccoli salad, and my bullseye change worksheet. So until next week, remember, instead of New Year, new me. Let's say New Year. Save me even better.

[00:50:52] Happy, healthy.