Episode 5
Episode 5: Eating Healthy on a Budget
Jenny Breen has been a professional chef and advocate for sustainable food systems and food justice, and has worked directly with farmers and producers in the Twin Cities area, since the mid-1980s. Jenny’s philosophy about food is food does more than provide us with nutrients. It has memories. Cultural ties. We use it to celebrate. She recognizes that people have limited time, skills, and resources. It doesn't have to be expensive to eat more nutritious food. She believes in “cook once and eat two or three times.” Join us to learn about how to eat nutritious food on a tight budget.
Cooking Up the Good Life: Creative Recipes for the Family Table by Jenny Breen and Susan Thurston
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Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota
Transcript
- Hello and welcome to
the podcast Wellness
Speaker:Matters for Direct Support.
Speaker:This is a podcast
developed by the University
Speaker:of Minnesota's Institute
on community integration.
Speaker:It's focused on the
importance of health, wellness
Speaker:and self-care for direct workers.
Speaker:My name is Chet Cheddar.
Speaker:I work at ICI as a national
workforce consultant, as well
Speaker:as I'm one of the co-editors
for Frontline Initiatives,
Speaker:which is a magazine we publish along
Speaker:with the National Alliance
for Direct Support.
Speaker:I'm here with my colleague
and co-host Mark Olson.
Speaker:- Hi everyone. You
probably know us by now,
Speaker:but I also am a trainer
curriculum writer at ICI.
Speaker:I did direct support
professionally for a lot of years,
Speaker:30 plus years in recreation, residential
Speaker:and vocational supports
and advocacy support.
Speaker:And, and currently I do
a lot of direct support
Speaker:for a family member.
Speaker:So it's, it's, it's something that goes
Speaker:beyond just doing it professionally.
Speaker:There are people out there
that are doing direct support
Speaker:just because it's a part
Speaker:of meeting the needs of their family.
Speaker:So just wanted to know
that, that folks like
Speaker:that are included as well.
Speaker:Our guest today is Jenny Breen.
Speaker:She has been a professional chef
Speaker:and a advocate for
sustainable food systems
Speaker:and food justice, and has
worked directly with farmers
Speaker:and producers here in
the Twin Cities area.
Speaker:I'm sure there are
people in your own states
Speaker:and your own regions that,
that do the same type of work.
Speaker:She co-owned the Good Life Cafe
Speaker:and catering a sustainable
food business from: Speaker:to 2013.
Speaker:She has a 2009 Archibald Busch
Foundation Leadership Fellow
Speaker:and completed her
Master's in Public Health,
Speaker:a nutrition at the University
of Minnesota in: Speaker:She works to build strong
networks within health
Speaker:and food systems for greater
access to food support
Speaker:for sustainable farming,
which is meaningful to me,
Speaker:and understanding of cooking
as a health strategy.
Speaker:Her first cookbook,
cooking Up The Good Life,
Speaker:emphasizes local seasonal Whole
Foods, cooking for Families,
Speaker:and was released in April
Speaker:of 2011 from the University
of Minnesota Press.
Speaker:Jenny currently teaches at
the University of Minnesota,
Speaker:including courses called I I love some
Speaker:of the course titles
that you've made here.
Speaker:Food Choices, healing the
Earth, healing Ourselves,
Speaker:food Matters, cook Like
Your Life Depends on It.
Speaker:Both of those are taught
through the Bachan Center
Speaker:here at the University of Minnesota.
Speaker:She also teaches a nutrition
cooking class called A Food
Speaker:Systems Approach to Cooking
Through Healthy Foods
Speaker:at the Healthy Lives
Institute and College of Food
Speaker:and Agriculture and
Natural Resources Sciences
Speaker:here at the University of Minnesota.
Speaker:Also known as affectionately as Sea Fans
Speaker:or muu sometimes call it just jokingly.
Speaker:- So there that, there's a slight
Speaker:correction on that last one.
Speaker:It's no longer healthy foods,
healthy Lives, it's just
Speaker:through food science and nutrition.
Speaker:- So just through food
science and nutrition. All
Speaker:- Right.
Speaker:Yeah, so it's a, it's an
actual like required class
Speaker:for nutrition students now.
Speaker:- Oh, wonderful. Oh,
that's great. Wonderful.
Speaker:So nutrition students that,
what's really nice about
Speaker:that is people
Speaker:who are providing information
about nutrition, hey,
Speaker:it makes sense for that to
be a big part of it as far
Speaker:- As it could.
Speaker:You, you would think that
that was obvious. Yes.
Speaker:- Well, it's obvious
now 'cause it's there.
Speaker:She contracts as a public health
culinary nutrition educator
Speaker:with local health
departments, school districts
Speaker:and nonprofit food and
farming organizations as well.
Speaker:Jenny's philosophy about food,
Speaker:I I loved reading some of these things.
Speaker:Okay. Food does a lot more
than provide us with nutrients.
Speaker:It has memories, cultural
ties. We use it to celebrate.
Speaker:Think about that. All
of us do those things
Speaker:and we have food involved.
Speaker:Think about any of your
celebrations that you have.
Speaker:She's not interested in the diet wars,
Speaker:so vegan versus keto versus paleo.
Speaker:She believes people have
different preferences
Speaker:and some people do better
on some diets than others.
Speaker:Yeah, well, it is just
important that plants
Speaker:and avoiding processed foods are a part of
Speaker:how we approach life and, and,
Speaker:and food to the extent that we can.
Speaker:So whatever diet that a person is using,
Speaker:how can you get that involved?
Speaker:She recognized that
people have time, skill
Speaker:and a financial restraints,
Speaker:although it doesn't have
to be super expensive
Speaker:to eat more nutritious food,
for example, we talked about
Speaker:how frozen fruit and veggies
are much more budget friendly
Speaker:and are nutritious, so we'll get into
Speaker:that a little bit more as well.
Speaker:She also recognizes that our
food system is set up in a way
Speaker:that makes it harder for people
Speaker:to eat in ways that support health.
Speaker:She'll be talking about that
Speaker:cooking philosophy
includes keeping it simple.
Speaker:And this is, this is perfect for me
Speaker:and one of the questions I'm
gonna ask later is really about
Speaker:this, keeping it simple.
Speaker:Cooking once and eating it two or two
Speaker:or three times off of
that it sounds like is,
Speaker:is is kind of one of the philosophies.
Speaker:Jenny, Jenny Entrusts
Speaker:and I, you know, that
is one of those things
Speaker:that I know a lot of folks
Speaker:that will be cooking on a weekend day
Speaker:and then during the week they
Speaker:kinda eat off of it a little bit.
Speaker:Welcome, Jenny. Thank you.
Speaker:And per your request, Chet
Speaker:and I will start by sharing
stories about our lives related
Speaker:to food, and I'm gonna
throw Chet under the bus
Speaker:and have her go first.
Speaker:- Oh, thanks a lot, mark.
I'm ready for this one.
Speaker:I grew up a farm kid in South Dakota
Speaker:and we were pretty much meat
and potato sort of people,
Speaker:and vegetables were optional.
Speaker:Fruit was always around,
there was always dessert.
Speaker:And so that's how I grew up eating and,
Speaker:and ate for many years.
Speaker:I've since learned to shift that
Speaker:to include more plant-based
Speaker:and have a different sort of balance.
Speaker:But that was that my upbringing
Speaker:and that's for me for a long time.
Speaker:If there wasn't meat, it wasn't a meal,
Speaker:but I've shifted that.
Speaker:- Okay. And in my story with
food, probably there's a number
Speaker:of those, some similar
things to that with the meat
Speaker:and potatoes kind of thing.
Speaker:You know, family comes from
Wisconsin farmers, so, you know,
Speaker:not a whole lot different.
Speaker:There a lot more dairy probably
than, than South Dakota.
Speaker:But we, when we moved to the cities,
Speaker:when I was a very small child,
Speaker:my parents were not making the
most, as far as as financial,
Speaker:you know, existence for our family.
Speaker:So we did a lot of canned vegetables.
Speaker:And to this day I struggle with vegetables
Speaker:because I grew up on canned vegetables
Speaker:and they just really turned
me off of vegetables.
Speaker:So when I get some really good
green beans like I did at an
Speaker:event yesterday where
they've been cooked properly,
Speaker:they're al dente and they have
some nice seasonings on them,
Speaker:it's like candy to me.
Speaker:Mm. I just love them, but
I don't get enough of them
Speaker:and I don't know how to cook them
Speaker:and get that type of type of cooking
Speaker:for me to do it at home.
Speaker:So that's one of the things that's
Speaker:always one of my struggles.
Speaker:So with that, we'll get into our questions
Speaker:we're gonna talk about on this podcast.
Speaker:Our, our main focus is
direct support workers, folks
Speaker:that work in, in, in disability services
Speaker:or any other type of services,
senior, senior centers.
Speaker:Any place where somebody is,
is supporting other people.
Speaker:And one of the things that
we're trying to do is deal
Speaker:with the self-care of the
individual that's the supporter
Speaker:and help them to become
more resilient people.
Speaker:So how do we help folks that
do direct support do that,
Speaker:and how does food fit into that?
Speaker:- Starting with an easy one. Okay.
Speaker:So you, some of the things
Speaker:that you mentioned in describing me and,
Speaker:and my philosophy have to
do with the food system.
Speaker:I think it's really important.
Speaker:And when I teach, you know,
Speaker:the food choices class is a great example.
Speaker:I'm teaching about the entire system
Speaker:because we need to understand that, how
Speaker:that system works in order
to understand the context
Speaker:that people are operating
in when they're trying to
Speaker:feed themselves, right?
Speaker:Which looks really different
for different people,
Speaker:but we all exist within this
system that is set up to
Speaker:support big industrial agriculture,
Speaker:which is mainly producing
a very small diversity
Speaker:of things, right?
Speaker:A few different animals
and corn and soy and wheat.
Speaker:And then it's set up to process
those foods very cheaply
Speaker:and then make those foods
incredibly available
Speaker:all over the place, also
very cheaply for people.
Speaker:So we're already, we're, we're kind
Speaker:of starting at this place.
Speaker:That's really difficult, right?
Speaker:Because most direct care workers
Speaker:and many of us don't have
a lot of extra money.
Speaker:And so we're always working
on some sort of a budget
Speaker:and we're having to think about, you know,
Speaker:how can I stretch my dollar
Speaker:and cheap food is a really
easy way to do that.
Speaker:Unfortunately, there are all these impacts
Speaker:that cheap food has
starting from the, you know,
Speaker:the agricultural system
Speaker:and the way that massive
industrial production
Speaker:of food impacts the environment,
which then, you know,
Speaker:has all these other effects
on us individually, right?
Speaker:The, the chemicals and the
toxins that might be in the soil
Speaker:or even in the air.
Speaker:So that affects people.
Speaker:And then the processed food
Speaker:that people are consuming is
just really, really really
Speaker:making people sick.
Speaker:And, you know, I think,
I can't say exactly,
Speaker:but around 80% of the conditions
Speaker:that medical professionals are
treating right now are diet
Speaker:and lifestyle related issues.
Speaker:So these are not, you
know, infectious diseases,
Speaker:these are chronic conditions
Speaker:and that is directly connected to this,
Speaker:this highly processed,
really low quality food
Speaker:that people have
Speaker:- That has been advertised
Speaker:and packaged to just be so
beautiful and attractive.
Speaker:- Absolutely. And,
Speaker:and, you know, frankly,
Speaker:our government is subsidizing
the production of that food.
Speaker:So it's, it's available.
Speaker:I mean, you talked about,
you know, meat and potatoes
Speaker:and even the dietary
guidelines, certainly the ones
Speaker:that we all grew up with, you know,
Speaker:when we saw protein on
there, all we saw was meat.
Speaker:Correct? Right. We didn't
know there was anything
Speaker:else that was a protein.
Speaker:And even still, and then that
bottom huge bottom section
Speaker:with bread and pasta, that's
just not, we know now that
Speaker:that's not a healthy
Speaker:or sustainable way to eat for
our bodies and for the earth.
Speaker:And, and what I love to teach
Speaker:and what I think is really meaningful
Speaker:and important to people is
Speaker:that those two things are very connected.
Speaker:So what's not good for
the earth is also not good
Speaker:for humans or vice versa.
Speaker:What's good for us is
also good for the earth.
Speaker:So there's a really great
opportunity to make choices
Speaker:that are, have these
really positive impacts.
Speaker:- I really love that.
That's a really great way
Speaker:to just think about it visually.
Speaker:- Yeah. And, and I actually
have some wonderful
Speaker:visuals that I show my students.
Speaker:It's a, you know, where it shows kind of
Speaker:how those same things that,
you know, fruits and vegetables
Speaker:and whole grains that are so good for us
Speaker:have the least environmental impact.
Speaker:And again, vice versa.
Speaker:So the meats and even the dairy
Speaker:and some of the, some of the
fat and obviously the sugar
Speaker:and sweets, those have the
most environmental impact.
Speaker:And also obviously the
biggest impact on us humans.
Speaker:And for young people that I teach,
Speaker:there's a big motivator in understanding
Speaker:environmental impact.
Speaker:There's, that's a motivator
for a lot of young people where
Speaker:maybe other things might
not be for some people,
Speaker:maybe in our generation, you know,
Speaker:health might be more of a motivator.
Speaker:But in any case, I think it's
really important to understand
Speaker:that you will feel
better if you eat in ways
Speaker:that make you feel better.
Speaker:And so even if it's just, you know,
Speaker:you're, you wake up stiff
and your joints are sore
Speaker:or you're tired, you
just don't have energy
Speaker:or you know, maybe people
feel like they're carrying
Speaker:too much weight around.
Speaker:Those are all, again, really
related to what you eat
Speaker:and what you put in your body.
Speaker:And so, so that's a, I think a place
Speaker:to start is giving people context
Speaker:and saying like, this is really important.
Speaker:The other thing that I
think is really important,
Speaker:and it's, it's hard to, you know,
Speaker:when you're dealing in the,
in the immediate with a budget
Speaker:and, and sort of choices that
you have to make, it's hard
Speaker:to recognize that the choices
Speaker:that you make now are gonna
have an impact down the line.
Speaker:And so what I usually say,
Speaker:and of course with nuance,
depending who I'm talking to,
Speaker:you can pay now or you can pay later,
Speaker:but you don't get away without paying.
Speaker:Right? So if we pay now,
Speaker:are health is going to sustain us later
Speaker:and we're probably gonna
not be facing a lot
Speaker:of the health costs, financial
Speaker:and physical that we deal
Speaker:with later if we don't pay now,
that is the payment, right?
Speaker:That people will be dealing
with health conditions,
Speaker:chronic conditions, discomfort, pain,
Speaker:and the costs that go along with those.
Speaker:So it's kind of like an investment.
Speaker:Well it's definitely an investment.
Speaker:Again, it's hard
Speaker:to make investments when you
don't feel like you have a lot.
Speaker:But the other thing is that
it doesn't actually have to be
Speaker:that expensive, it's just a commitment
Speaker:of time and intention.
Speaker:So you have to learn, you know,
Speaker:what things you can do to
set yourself up to eat well
Speaker:and be nourished.
Speaker:And a lot of that is really about planning
Speaker:and shopping smart and
prepping and cooking.
Speaker:You said eat cook once, eat
three times, you know, lots
Speaker:of people, the two barriers
that everyone believes
Speaker:that they have are time and money, right?
Speaker:Yeah. True across the board.
Doesn't matter what you do.
Speaker:And while I know that that's true,
Speaker:I know when I was in grad
school 15 years ago when I was
Speaker:researching this, the
average amount of time
Speaker:that people watch television,
Speaker:'cause we didn't have,
you know, TikTok yet
Speaker:was about six hours a day.
Speaker:So even if we like break that
down to one hour a day, right?
Speaker:We, there's time in there.
Speaker:That's not to say that
people don't deserve
Speaker:to just check out for a while.
Speaker:I get it. We all do. We,
there is time in there to sort
Speaker:of plan and put your list together
Speaker:and think about, you know,
if I cook a big pot of beans
Speaker:and I can make soup on Monday
Speaker:and I can make enchiladas on Tuesday
Speaker:and I can throw those beans in a salad
Speaker:or scramble them with
my eggs on Wednesday,
Speaker:I've got three days covered
with a incredibly nutritious,
Speaker:very affordable protein.
Speaker:So some of it is just learning,
oh, these are my options
Speaker:and these are the things
I can do with them.
Speaker:So there's a, a skill component, right?
Speaker:Learning basic cooking and,
and how to put things together
Speaker:and a planning and sort
of strategic component.
Speaker:And that's what I love to
teach people is those kind
Speaker:of those two things and
how, how what you get for
Speaker:that investment is, is big
Speaker:- As, as one who can probably
say that I didn't invest
Speaker:as a young, as a youngster,
I'm investing now I can,
Speaker:I can attest to that fact
Speaker:because there are health
conditions that I now have
Speaker:that I wouldn't have had had I done as,
Speaker:as you're talking about
and really focused on
Speaker:that nutrition a little bit more.
Speaker:I'm learning. And I think
that that's the thing
Speaker:that you're never too old to learn.
Speaker:- No, no. And
Speaker:and again, our system was not
set up to set you up, right.
Speaker:Or your parents, right.
Speaker:Most of our parents certainly didn't learn
Speaker:that stuff at home or they, you know,
Speaker:or it may have been just a
part of their environment.
Speaker:A lot of people grew
up in farms, ate meat,
Speaker:but they also ate a lot of
vegetables and it was seasonal
Speaker:and it was just sort of,
you know, there was canning.
Speaker:And so it was happening
without really acknowledging
Speaker:that actually that was a
really healthy strategy.
Speaker:Now we have to go back
to those strategies,
Speaker:but we, we certainly in our generation
Speaker:as kids didn't learn
these things anywhere.
Speaker:I mean, I took home ec in
middle school and I made fudge
Speaker:and brownies.
Speaker:Maybe we have a lot of
missed opportunities.
Speaker:There are opportunities
now to change that.
Speaker:It's just that we now have
a generation of people
Speaker:who can't pass that information on.
Speaker:So I'm really interested
in training teachers
Speaker:and training future health professionals
Speaker:because they can actually
really make an impact,
Speaker:but they're not learning that currently.
Speaker:So, you know, we're all
kind of in that boat
Speaker:of if you didn't learn it as
a kid, you're having to kind
Speaker:of figure it out now. And
Speaker:- I can also attest to
the fact that my niece
Speaker:and nephews are much more attuned
Speaker:to those things than I ever was.
Speaker:Well, that's great. So it's,
it's been happening and,
Speaker:and you know, probably they're
Gen z, they're, you know,
Speaker:they're, you know, millennial, gen Z
Speaker:and that kind of range between them all.
Speaker:And they, they really
focus on that concept
Speaker:that you were talking about of
Speaker:how is this impacting the environment
Speaker:and how is it impacting me?
Speaker:So it's happening, what
you're doing is, is helping,
Speaker:it's just, you know,
how it's getting there
Speaker:and how often it's getting there.
Speaker:- Well, and I think, I mean,
I have students all the time
Speaker:who are, are hip young people who say,
Speaker:I've never thought about this before.
Speaker:So it's time we start thinking about it.
Speaker:Like we can't, you know,
the earth can't wait
Speaker:and people can't wait.
Speaker:So we have to make these connections.
Speaker:- Okay, well thank you.
- Alright, so
Speaker:we know that social media
plays such an important
Speaker:part in our lives.
Speaker:The things we see on the
news, on our, on our phones
Speaker:and magazines, all of that, it seems
Speaker:to be giving us really conflicting
Speaker:and confusing messages about what it means
Speaker:to be healthy and eat healthy.
Speaker:What are some basic principles
people really need to follow?
Speaker:- Oh yeah, it is confusing.
Speaker:And even before social
media it was confusing.
Speaker:So it's really, really confusing.
Speaker:And part of that is, again, back to
Speaker:that food system I was talking about where
Speaker:different interests have
a large influence, right?
Speaker:So the, the big food companies folks,
Speaker:they don't care about your health, right?
Speaker:So whatever they're telling you is
Speaker:because they're trying to make money.
Speaker:So I say, and, and it,
it's very simple really.
Speaker:And I don't know if you all
know who Michael Pollan is.
Speaker:He, he wrote several books.
Speaker:The Omnivores Dilemma was kind
of one that made him famous,
Speaker:but he is written other books
just about this question of
Speaker:what should we eat
Speaker:and, you know, how
complicated should it be?
Speaker:And he says,
Speaker:eat food mostly plants not too much.
Speaker:So I don't, you know, I actually think
Speaker:that getting more complicated
is not helpful, right?
Speaker:We, there are, you
mentioned all the different
Speaker:kinds of diets, right?
Speaker:Keto and paleo and vegan
Speaker:and there are principles
in each of those diets
Speaker:that are great, right?
Speaker:Where there are whole
foods and where it's plants
Speaker:and where people are cooking
at home, that's great,
Speaker:that's a good component.
Speaker:But to say that any one
diet is the right diet for
Speaker:everyone is ridiculous.
Speaker:We are individuals. Our
bodies are all individual.
Speaker:There is virtually no way
to really, really prove
Speaker:that one ingredient
Speaker:or one nutrient has one
specific effect on people.
Speaker:That's just not how nutrition, that's not
Speaker:how food embodies work.
Speaker:So nutrition science is a little messy
Speaker:because you can't figure
things out that way.
Speaker:Nutrients come in combinations
Speaker:and different combinations of
food have different effects
Speaker:and you know, so people
have to really learn how
Speaker:to tune into their own bodies
Speaker:and understand what effects
particular foods have on them.
Speaker:But I would say for the most
part, if people can emphasize,
Speaker:I say plant forward
Speaker:or plant predominant, I don't
like the word plant-based
Speaker:because honestly everything
is plant-based when
Speaker:you break it down.
Speaker:I think that's a term that
can be used as in sort
Speaker:of a righteous way or shaming way.
Speaker:And I'm not that interested in that.
Speaker:So, but plant predominant,
so really emphasizing plants,
Speaker:fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes,
Speaker:these are all plants
Speaker:and quality, quality is
such an important word
Speaker:that I think can hopefully
help people understand this.
Speaker:So you can have two
Speaker:chickens or you know,
two containers of eggs
Speaker:or even two, you know,
different broccoli plants
Speaker:that are raised in such a way
Speaker:that really changed the
quality of that food.
Speaker:And many times you can taste it.
Speaker:Oh, for sure you can taste it.
Speaker:I mean I, you know, I'm a person
Speaker:who really loves local fresh food
Speaker:and absolutely you can taste it.
Speaker:Obviously affordability
is connected to that.
Speaker:Unfortunately fresh whole, you know,
Speaker:sustainably produced food
tends to be more expensive.
Speaker:Although that's changing
some, we have more
Speaker:and more ways of accessing that food.
Speaker:Farmer's markets, for example,
are a phenomenal way to get
Speaker:fresh local seasonal
food pretty affordably.
Speaker:Folks who are on snap
now, at least in Minnesota
Speaker:and a lot of other states
can triple their snap
Speaker:money at farmer's markets.
Speaker:So I managed a farmer's
market for several years.
Speaker:You can come and spend $10 on snap
Speaker:and get $30 to spend at a farmer's market.
Speaker:So we are working towards,
I mean, it's absurd to me
Speaker:that we should have to do this, right?
Speaker:Like in my mind, healthy
food is a human right
Speaker:and there should be nobody
who doesn't have access to it.
Speaker:But because of our systems,
we have to create policies
Speaker:and we have to kind of
and go in the side door.
Speaker:But there are lots of people
and organizations and,
Speaker:and politicians
Speaker:and experts who are working
on making those changes.
Speaker:I would say also just, oh,
Speaker:I had another thought about
this question of social media.
Speaker:I mean, focus on
Speaker:preparing, taking control
of what goes into your body.
Speaker:And again, it doesn't
have to be complicated.
Speaker:You know, there are, you
all told your food stories
Speaker:or a little piece of your food stories,
Speaker:everybody has a food story.
Speaker:That's a really meaningful
Speaker:place for a lot of people to start.
Speaker:What did I eat at home?
Speaker:What did my grandmother or my mother
Speaker:or my father, you know,
my community prepared that
Speaker:that was meaningful, that was nourishing.
Speaker:Listening to our bodies is
another skill that, I mean, I,
Speaker:I watched my kids listen
Speaker:to their bodies when they were young.
Speaker:And I see so many people,
even college, you know,
Speaker:high school and college students
Speaker:who stopped learning
how to do that, right?
Speaker:They started looking at
social media and or whatever
Speaker:and thinking that's how
my body should look.
Speaker:And it doesn't matter
how I feel, I'm just need
Speaker:to look this way or this
is what I should eat
Speaker:because that person eats that way.
Speaker:And so this is what I'm gonna do.
Speaker:And the fact that I don't have energy
Speaker:or that I'm starving
Speaker:or that's not, I'm gonna ignore that
Speaker:because the social
pressure's too, too hard.
Speaker:I just heard a, a
Speaker:story on NPR the other
day about just the impacts
Speaker:of isolation and covid on young people.
Speaker:And they said that disordered eating
Speaker:was like tripled during covid.
Speaker:So especially in young women.
Speaker:So you're talking about so many
young women who are isolated
Speaker:and just looking at images
all day on social media
Speaker:and thinking that that's
what they need to do.
Speaker:And having no perspective.
Speaker:So I'm really about how you feel
Speaker:and what gives you energy
and also, you know,
Speaker:and like you said, not
only can you taste it,
Speaker:but you can feel it when, when
you are feeding yourself food
Speaker:that's nourishing
Speaker:and energy producing, you can feel it
Speaker:and it doesn't take long to,
Speaker:to feel the difference if you
haven't been eating that way
Speaker:and then you start to make
changes, even little changes,
Speaker:it's amazing how quickly you feel that
Speaker:- Not only in your body,
Speaker:but for me it was like in my
brain I felt like a fog lifted
Speaker:when I quit eating a lot
of sugars and processed
Speaker:- Food.
Speaker:Well, and, and our gut and our
brain are directly connected.
Speaker:So this idea
Speaker:that physical health stops
at our necks is silly, right?
Speaker:There's such an incredible
connection between
Speaker:what we put in our bodies and
how our brain both physically
Speaker:and mentally operates.
Speaker:So mental health and diet
are incredibly connected.
Speaker:- I was just touching my
nose pointing at like spot on
Speaker:because that is true.
Speaker:Mental health and diet are
very, very much tied together.
Speaker:Absolutely. Diet is tied to all of it.
Speaker:Now, one of the things that
I've learned since, you know,
Speaker:like I said, I'm always learning
Speaker:and that's, that's, you know,
as, as, as an older person,
Speaker:it's like that's important to
me is to always learn things.
Speaker:And one of the things I've
learned is about carbohydrates
Speaker:and the, the complex carbohydrate is, is
Speaker:so much better if you can find it
Speaker:and find complex carbohydrates
that you really enjoy.
Speaker:I mean, I always grew
up on the white bread
Speaker:that's all processed and all of that,
Speaker:but over time I've started to
shift to more of what I used
Speaker:to call the bread that has
sticks and twigs in it.
Speaker:I, I really like the bread that has that,
Speaker:that hardiness to it.
Speaker:And so, you know, and a lot
of the flatbreads and the,
Speaker:and then the, the, the breads
that, like the fin crisp
Speaker:and the, the, the all the
crisp breads that come out
Speaker:or it's very low sodium.
Speaker:Very low carbohydrate.
Speaker:Or if there's a lot a
carbohydrate in, well it's all
Speaker:that's got carbohydrate,
Speaker:but you've got fiber that offsets it
Speaker:and it ends up being much
healthier and more filling.
Speaker:- Right? And that's what I
mean when I say whole foods.
Speaker:And I think, I mean that term carbohydrate
Speaker:for some people starts to
feel a little overwhelming.
Speaker:You start talking about, you know,
Speaker:you start using terminology,
Speaker:especially if you're not a medical student
Speaker:or a, you know, in the medical field,
Speaker:but whole foods is really
what you're talking about.
Speaker:So whole versions of anything, any plant,
Speaker:whole versions of
Speaker:that plant are gonna be
really high in fiber.
Speaker:Really, really like slow to digest,
Speaker:which means they give you
sustained energy over time.
Speaker:And generally,
Speaker:although I don't like to
talk a lot about calories,
Speaker:generally lower in calories
Speaker:because they're not processed,
Speaker:there's not stuff added that's hidden.
Speaker:And you mentioned low salt.
Speaker:And the truth is that if
you're eating whole foods,
Speaker:and I mean really, so those,
Speaker:those crackers at one time
they were a whole grain in
Speaker:what we call intact whole grain
Speaker:that didn't have anything added to it.
Speaker:That's just that food.
Speaker:And if we are cooking with Whole Foods,
Speaker:we have a hundred percent control over
Speaker:what goes into our food.
Speaker:So any salt, which if we're
just adding it ourself,
Speaker:we don't have to really worry about it.
Speaker:'cause we can't add
excessive amounts of salt.
Speaker:So when we start with a whole food
Speaker:and then we prepare it,
there's never anything added
Speaker:unless we add it.
Speaker:- Well, and that's, that's very true
Speaker:because you know, I I I love potatoes,
Speaker:but I always have to put
a little bit of salt in.
Speaker:Absolutely. But it's way less,
Speaker:it's way less salt than
I would get if I were
Speaker:to buy the frozen french
Speaker:- Fries.
Speaker:Well, and salt, you need salt. Yes, right?
Speaker:Just like, just like a lot
of nutrients and minerals.
Speaker:We need salt. But when food is processed,
Speaker:there's just no limit to
how that, how it shows up
Speaker:and how many versions of it.
Speaker:And, and so being to control
that is really, you know,
Speaker:it's a very natural way to consume food.
Speaker:Right? I love salt.
Speaker:I hate stuff that isn't
well salted, right.
Speaker:That matters to me. I'm a chef.
Speaker:Like, you gotta you gotta taste it.
Speaker:- It brings, yeah, it brings
out the flavor when you
Speaker:- Right.
Speaker:And when and when you're cooking at home,
Speaker:you do have so much more control.
Speaker:It's fun to eat out and be at restaurants,
Speaker:but you never quite know what,
Speaker:what all has been put in the food.
Speaker:- Yeah, yeah. And it's,
I mean, if that's right,
Speaker:if you have the luxury
of being able to eat out,
Speaker:then it's certainly worth
enjoying from time to time.
Speaker:But that's a one real
opportunity for saving money.
Speaker:Another one, getting back to the original,
Speaker:or I don't know if you
asked this question,
Speaker:but I know it's a
question around, you know,
Speaker:how do we nourish
ourselves well on a budget
Speaker:- That, that was the actual next
Speaker:big question. Okay, so we'll
Speaker:- Just go to it.
Speaker:All right, then you can tell this stuff.
Speaker:I think about all the time,
and it's a question, right?
Speaker:That when you're teaching
future health providers
Speaker:and they say, well what am I
supposed to say to a patient
Speaker:who doesn't have the money
to eat organic, right?
Speaker:For example, that's a really
common sort of response.
Speaker:So the first thing I
say is, let's not start
Speaker:with organic food, right?
Speaker:Let's back up and say whole foods, foods
Speaker:that come from nature
Speaker:and that are in the form,
they come in nature.
Speaker:And probably there are a couple places
Speaker:where people can really start.
Speaker:One is sugar sweetened
beverages in terms of cost,
Speaker:but also just in terms of
Speaker:what a difference it makes if
you can get sugar sweetened
Speaker:beverages outta your,
out of your rotation.
Speaker:'cause I, I didn't know
this until I started working
Speaker:with nutritionists
Speaker:and with my doctor colleagues,
Speaker:how many sugar sweetened
beverages some people drink in a
Speaker:day that has a, a significant impact
Speaker:and diet beverages are not better.
Speaker:And this is where the calorie question is,
Speaker:is gets kind of fuzzy.
Speaker:It's not just about calories.
Speaker:It's about how your body
processes these things and,
Speaker:and what do they called
artificial sweeteners.
Speaker:They do all sorts of other
things that do not benefit you
Speaker:enough that not at all.
Speaker:In fact they, they have
similar impacts as sugar.
Speaker:So you have a similar response
to artificial sweeteners
Speaker:that you do to sugar.
Speaker:So your body does kind
of does the same thing
Speaker:around the processing of the sugar.
Speaker:And so it, it's not like a, a good switch.
Speaker:But the other, the other place
Speaker:where you can really make an impact is
Speaker:to scale back on your animal protein
Speaker:because it's expensive.
Speaker:And so, and I you are not
a l check in saying like,
Speaker:if it didn't have meat, it's not a meal.
Speaker:I encounter lot of
students, a lot of people
Speaker:for whom that's true.
Speaker:And also they thought that
Speaker:that was the way they were
supposed to eat, right?
Speaker:Like we grew up learning like
you gotta have protein on your
Speaker:plate at every meal.
Speaker:And protein meaning, you know,
Speaker:beef usually maybe chicken.
Speaker:And those are, again,
if it's a quality source
Speaker:of meat or chicken
Speaker:or fish, that's a perfectly
fine part of a diet,
Speaker:but it should not be the
predominant part of your diet.
Speaker:And so if you can just
sort of move that meat over
Speaker:to the side or just make it
an ingredient rather than the
Speaker:center of the plate
Speaker:or you know, have it less often.
Speaker:So I have students who
have meat three times a day
Speaker:or you know, at least every day.
Speaker:What if you had it a couple times a week?
Speaker:And you know, those
are significant changes
Speaker:and those are significant changes
Speaker:that you'll feel physically,
certainly environmentally
Speaker:and also financially.
Speaker:So those are some things
that people can start to do.
Speaker:And again, for folks for whom that's new,
Speaker:that means learning some
new skills around cooking
Speaker:with other kinds of ingredients.
Speaker:- Well, yeah. And other proteins is,
Speaker:it's always intrigued me
Speaker:because, you know, I grew up in that meat
Speaker:and potato life too.
Speaker:And so, you know, I, I've
explored other proteins
Speaker:and, you know, I found that
there's some beans and legumes
Speaker:and things like that,
that if I cook with those
Speaker:and add those in it,
it's a nice alternative.
Speaker:I still am, you know, just historically
Speaker:and to socially just, you
know, more, i, I eat meat,
Speaker:but I, I've, I've learned to try
Speaker:and say, you know, I'm
gonna go vegetarian today
Speaker:and I'm going to eat, you know,
non-meat products all day.
Speaker:So that's, you know,
and just periodically do
Speaker:that to help too.
Speaker:And, you know, it's, it gives,
Speaker:at least it's giving me exposure.
Speaker:Yeah. Giving a body that opportunity
Speaker:to try something different.
Speaker:- Yeah. Yeah. And, and that's, and
Speaker:and sometimes that can
be really intimidating,
Speaker:which is why I love to teach
Speaker:because I think it can be
less intimidating when you're
Speaker:cooking with other people
Speaker:and you're just sort of experimenting.
Speaker:And I can tell you that
maybe not a hundred percent
Speaker:of the time, but let's say 98%
Speaker:of the time people are surprised at
Speaker:how delicious the food we make is,
Speaker:even though it doesn't have meat in it.
Speaker:And I'm not, I'm not anything,
Speaker:I don't have a label in
terms of the way that I eat.
Speaker:I don't eat very much meat.
Speaker:It's never been something
that for me has been
Speaker:that appealing and just
hasn't worked for me.
Speaker:But I'm not a vegetarian, I'm not vegan.
Speaker:I don't have a particular diet
Speaker:that I tell people they should follow.
Speaker:I think that there's just
too many problems with that.
Speaker:But I do love to introduce
people to the deliciousness
Speaker:of cooking without meat.
Speaker:- Well, and that's, that's
goes right into the next
Speaker:question, beautiful transition there.
Speaker:Do you have any
suggestions for people who,
Speaker:who never really learned how to cook
Speaker:or maybe who don't have a lot
Speaker:of the kitchen type equipment ideas?
Speaker:Yeah, handy to them. Yeah.
Speaker:- So first of all, you
don't need fancy equipment.
Speaker:Really, really not, you know,
a good, a good frying pan
Speaker:and some basic tools.
Speaker:You know, a good knife is
probably the most important
Speaker:investment to make for cooking
Speaker:and a good cutting board maybe.
Speaker:But really like you can
get by without a lot
Speaker:of fancy equipment.
Speaker:And actually I think most of
Speaker:that fancy equipment is
superfluous to really cooking well.
Speaker:What you need is some basic skills
Speaker:and some kind of just an
understanding about how
Speaker:to make things taste good, right?
Speaker:So I really encourage people
Speaker:to just start thinking
about building their pantry.
Speaker:Obviously taking classes like
the ones that I teach are,
Speaker:is a great way to, to start, right?
Speaker:'cause you can get inspired,
Speaker:you can learn some basic sort of formulas
Speaker:or templates that can really translate.
Speaker:So instead of teaching, I do,
obviously I wrote a cookbook,
Speaker:I write recipes and I love to teach.
Speaker:I know people love recipes.
Speaker:But what I really love
to teach people is how
Speaker:to cook without a recipe.
Speaker:And how to just sort of
understand how to build flavor
Speaker:and what com combines well
to make things taste good
Speaker:and some basic sort of proportions
Speaker:and ways that things go together.
Speaker:So like a basic salad dressing.
Speaker:You know, you got your oil or your fat
Speaker:and you've got your acid
Speaker:and then all the other things
are just building flavor.
Speaker:And so you can add mustard
or you can add tahini
Speaker:or you can add, you know,
honey or you can add marmalade
Speaker:or you can, you know,
Speaker:and you can make different
variations on a recipe without
Speaker:having to have a recipe every time.
Speaker:And that's where having a
pantry really becomes important.
Speaker:And again, it's one of those things
Speaker:where it is an investment
on the front end,
Speaker:but then you don't have to go out
Speaker:and buy olive oil every time you cook.
Speaker:And you don't have to go
out and buy canned beans
Speaker:or canned tomatoes every time you cook
Speaker:because you've got things in your pantry.
Speaker:And then cooking in bigger quantities.
Speaker:So I'll cook if I'm gonna
cook beans, it's silly
Speaker:to just cook them for one meal, right?
Speaker:Because it takes no more energy
or time to cook a huge pot.
Speaker:And so I'll cook a big pot
Speaker:and then I usually take
some of those beans
Speaker:and put 'em in smaller
containers in the freezer.
Speaker:So they're there, they're cooked.
Speaker:It's the same thing as
having canned beans.
Speaker:If you can't do that, canned
beans are a fantastic option
Speaker:and they're relatively inexpensive.
Speaker:I think, you know, maybe
a dollar to a dollar 50
Speaker:for a 15 ounce can of beans.
Speaker:That's not bad 'cause
that's a, a power packed can
Speaker:of protein and fiber
Speaker:and things that you won't
get in certain other foods.
Speaker:And then I've got my big
pot of beans, like I said,
Speaker:I'll make soup, I'll make,
Speaker:and maybe I make enough
soup that I can freeze half
Speaker:that soup and pull it out at another time.
Speaker:Or you know, in our house
we would maybe have that
Speaker:for dinner
Speaker:and then people would take
it for lunch the next day
Speaker:or you know, and then you
take some of those beans
Speaker:and you turn it into, sometimes
I'll even take leftover,
Speaker:I make some pretty thick bean soups.
Speaker:I'll take those and turn those
into burritos or enchiladas.
Speaker:I don't even have to make a new dish.
Speaker:I just let it thicken and cool
Speaker:and then throw it into something else.
Speaker:Or I'll scramble out
that honestly in my eggs.
Speaker:I also, again, just anywhere
where you can add vegetables
Speaker:and you know vegetables,
it's true they are expensive,
Speaker:but you know, if you're
scaling back on the meat,
Speaker:that might be another place to invest.
Speaker:If you're scaling back on the
sugar sweetened beverages,
Speaker:that might be another place to invest
Speaker:because the payoff is so huge.
Speaker:Getting your green vegetables,
your dark leafy greens,
Speaker:you know, broccoli and kale and lettuces
Speaker:and getting your orange
vegetables, your squash
Speaker:and sweet potatoes, that
is invaluable in terms
Speaker:of the nourishment that it gives you
Speaker:and how it sustains you.
Speaker:So it's a combination of
just, again, the planning
Speaker:and the, the sort
Speaker:of being intentional rather
than just walking into the
Speaker:grocery store without a plan.
Speaker:'cause most people, that's
what a lot of people do
Speaker:and they end up either hungry,
they're shopping hungry,
Speaker:so they're buying stuff
they wanna eat right now
Speaker:or they're buying pre-made stuff
Speaker:'cause they just don't
know what they're gonna do.
Speaker:Or they're buying stuff
that they end up not using.
Speaker:Which food waste is a huge
problem in this country
Speaker:and around the world.
Speaker:So having a plan, and that
might mean picking out recipes,
Speaker:but it might just mean sort
of picking out some formulas.
Speaker:Again, if I've got my beans
Speaker:and I've got some, let's
say I've got some quinoa
Speaker:or some rice cooked
Speaker:and I've got some, maybe
I roasted a big pan
Speaker:of vegetables at the beginning of the week
Speaker:and I've got those, I've
got a meal in five minutes.
Speaker:If I make a salad dressing
Speaker:or sauce, I've got an amazing meal in
Speaker:five minutes when I get home.
Speaker:So the idea is to sort of, again,
Speaker:put some time in on the front end
Speaker:and once you start doing that,
it becomes easier, right?
Speaker:It starts to become familiar
and more habit and routine
Speaker:and, and then it doesn't
take as much time.
Speaker:- Well one of my thing
things that my brother does,
Speaker:and I envy him this ability
because he, he loves to cook
Speaker:and he, he's one of those
that that that will just go
Speaker:to his pantry as you say.
Speaker:And he can just look
at what's in the pantry
Speaker:and say, I'm gonna throw this, this, this,
Speaker:this and this together.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah. You know, a little
bit of olive oil in the pan,
Speaker:saute that, blah, blah blah.
Speaker:And he makes these flavorful meals.
Speaker:- That's, my husband says that, he says,
Speaker:when you look in the
refrigerator, you see meals.
Speaker:When I look in the
refrigerator, I see ingredients.
Speaker:So yeah, there's a leap
between ingredients
Speaker:and then what, what am
I gonna end up with?
Speaker:And that does take some time
and some practice. Absolutely.
Speaker:And that, you know, I teach
nutrition students, I have them
Speaker:for an entire semester, so 15 weeks.
Speaker:And that is my goal.
Speaker:I don't care if they're
gonna be professional chefs,
Speaker:I don't care if they're going
to, you know, do anything in,
Speaker:you know, in, you know, the
public sphere with their food.
Speaker:But if they can look, if
they can build a pantry
Speaker:and then look in their
pantry and come up with four
Speaker:or five good, flavorful,
affordable meals to make,
Speaker:then I have succeeded.
Speaker:- Chad had one more
question. I think we want
Speaker:- To Yeah, for sure.
Speaker:I've been thinking a lot about
direct support workers while
Speaker:we've been talking as well.
Speaker:And I think this question
kind of goes hand in hand.
Speaker:Something I experienced myself,
Speaker:but I think they likely do as well.
Speaker:When I am cooking for myself
Speaker:and I, I am eating healthier
than when I am buying processed
Speaker:food or going out to eat,
ordering something in.
Speaker:But it's really easy to
become kind of overwhelmed
Speaker:with the time that it takes to plan and,
Speaker:and that time management,
which you just kind
Speaker:of talked about and a lot
Speaker:of the direct support workers
are working really long shifts
Speaker:these days and really,
you know, covet their time
Speaker:that they have, that they have
for you, they're not at work,
Speaker:what are some things or some ways
Speaker:that they can really break things down
Speaker:and maybe feel a little
less overwhelmed with having
Speaker:to do everything right away.
Speaker:- Yeah. And I would say don't
do everything right away,
Speaker:just start and, and pick one thing, right?
Speaker:So maybe it's, I'm going to
roast one vegetable this week
Speaker:and I'm just gonna put it in everything,
Speaker:even if it's a frozen meal that
I'm heating from, you know,
Speaker:in my kid in my microwave
Speaker:or you know, I'm going
to make salad dressing
Speaker:and then I'm just gonna
have salad with every meal.
Speaker:Doesn't matter what I'm having,
Speaker:I'm just gonna have a
little salad with that.
Speaker:I also think, you know, you don't have
Speaker:to do everything from scratch, right?
Speaker:So we, you mentioned frozen
Speaker:and canned vegetables, frozen
a especially frozen vegetables
Speaker:are fantastic option
Speaker:because they're generally,
they're already cut for you
Speaker:and usually they're blanched.
Speaker:The one thing I like people
to know is they're already
Speaker:cooked so you don't
have to cook 'em again.
Speaker:So you just have to, if if, if
you want 'em to be, you know,
Speaker:have any texture, just
put 'em in long enough
Speaker:to thaw or let them thaw
Speaker:and then just throw 'em in
at the end of something.
Speaker:'cause they will turn to mush if you,
Speaker:you know, put 'em in. I didn't at the
Speaker:- Beginning. I know that's
great to know. Thanks,
Speaker:- Right.
Speaker:But, but that, you know,
for, for honestly 80,
Speaker:90% of the time it takes to
cook is the cutting of things,
Speaker:which for a lot
Speaker:of people can be really
meditative and really relaxing.
Speaker:And I, I really hope to help
people find that as part
Speaker:of this journey.
Speaker:Is that, 'cause I know cooking
is really stressful for a lot
Speaker:of people and if you can see
it as sort of a, a way of,
Speaker:you know, maybe de decompressing
at the end of the day
Speaker:and maybe you turn some nice music on
Speaker:and you know, if you drink
wine, maybe you have some wine
Speaker:or you, you know, you
create an environment
Speaker:that feels relaxing
Speaker:and I, I understand that
we're often very hungry
Speaker:and feel like we need to
rush, but you know, maybe try
Speaker:and just take your time a
little bit and do that prep,
Speaker:but also don't put so
much pressure on yourself
Speaker:that you have to do it all.
Speaker:So if you, you know, if you
have some frozen vegetables
Speaker:and, or you buy, maybe you
buy a cooked chicken already
Speaker:and then you just cut that up
and throw it into a stir fry.
Speaker:Or you again make soup out of it
Speaker:or you know, make, even make a sandwich.
Speaker:And on some level it doesn't always matter
Speaker:what you're eating, it
matters that you are sort
Speaker:of setting yourself up
for in that environment.
Speaker:The other thing that's really important is
Speaker:getting rid of the distraction.
Speaker:So you mentioned social media, I would say
Speaker:I do an activity with students
Speaker:where I have them track their eating
Speaker:but also their environment for three days.
Speaker:And I, I don't care about calories
Speaker:or quantities or anything.
Speaker:I just wanna know like what are you eating
Speaker:and what's happening
and how hungry are you
Speaker:and how emotionally satisfied
are you when you eat, right?
Speaker:Like those are the two things physically
Speaker:and emotionally satisfied.
Speaker:And again, almost everyone
Speaker:is either eating in front
of their phone or their tv.
Speaker:Very rarely is anyone just
fully engaging with their food.
Speaker:And a lot of what happens then
is that we eat twice as much
Speaker:as we really need.
Speaker:'cause we're not paying attention.
Speaker:So when students do mindful
eating, which is an activity
Speaker:that we teach, which is really just sort
Speaker:of taking some breaths.
Speaker:So you're stimulating your, your rest
Speaker:and digest your
parasympathetic nerve instead
Speaker:of your sympathetic
nerve, which is the fight
Speaker:or flight you're telling
your body, it's okay,
Speaker:you can relax, you can
absorb your nutrients.
Speaker:And frequently people say,
oh, I ate half as much
Speaker:'cause I noticed I was
full, I had had enough.
Speaker:So creating a like an
important space around eating,
Speaker:you know, no phones at the table
Speaker:or no TV on just being present,
Speaker:which is really hard
for some people, right?
Speaker:They're not used to just
being present with themselves.
Speaker:Usually, you know, eating
is what, 15 minutes.
Speaker:So people are like, well I
don't have time to do that.
Speaker:I have to, you know, no, we have time
Speaker:to honor our eating and our bodies.
Speaker:It's better for our bodies.
Speaker:Our bodies are gonna
absorb more nutrients.
Speaker:Very likely we'll eat less or
we will feel more comfortable
Speaker:because we will notice
when we're ready to stop.
Speaker:So those are all things that you can do
Speaker:to relieve pressure on yourself
Speaker:and just gradually ease your way in
Speaker:and then, you know, try things.
Speaker:Maybe you buy an interesting
sauce at the grocery store
Speaker:and then just put it on some things
Speaker:and see if that makes some
Speaker:of these vegetables
more interesting to you.
Speaker:Or you know, just try a new whole grain.
Speaker:Just buy a grain and cook it.
Speaker:You know, the the nice
thing about a lot of stores
Speaker:that you can buy in bulk
Speaker:and that way you can just
buy small amounts of things
Speaker:and try 'em out and then you're
not wasting your money if
Speaker:you bought something you
don't really like, you know,
Speaker:it doesn't have to all be at once.
Speaker:You don't have to do everything.
Speaker:None of us, including myself, are perfect.
Speaker:None of us are doing
it right all the time.
Speaker:I, there are some days when
I'm eating chips for dinner
Speaker:'cause that's all I got.
Speaker:You know what, that's okay.
Speaker:I say to people all the time,
whatever choice you make,
Speaker:make the choice with intention, move on.
Speaker:Right? It's one meal.
Speaker:There is no value in beating
ourselves up about something we
Speaker:did or some choice we made that
maybe wasn't the ideal one.
Speaker:We all do it. We're humans.
Speaker:We get to choose again every day. So
Speaker:- Yeah.
Speaker:And that emotional connection
I think comes in there too.
Speaker:Sometimes the place you're
at mentally and, and,
Speaker:and just cheer where
you're at that day right?
Speaker:Says, you know what, I
really, really wanna have
Speaker:that ice cream bar today.
Speaker:- Absolutely. You
- Know, so I'm gonna have
Speaker:that ice cream bar and that's okay.
Speaker:That's today. Absolutely.
And then tomorrow I move on.
Speaker:- And the emotional, the meaning
Speaker:that food has in our
lives is, is very complex.
Speaker:And sometimes it is emotionally
what we're, you know,
Speaker:what we're feeding and that's okay.
Speaker:That's very, it's important
for us to acknowledge
Speaker:that we're all, we're
complicated humans and,
Speaker:and food is for most of
us, pretty complicated
Speaker:for all kinds of reasons.
Speaker:And certainly social media is
not helping keep it simple.
Speaker:It's making it more complicated.
Speaker:So I think as a parent, I felt,
Speaker:and I have two daughters, boy,
it was sure important to me
Speaker:to make an environment
that felt really like
Speaker:just nonjudgmental and sort
of everything was fine.
Speaker:However, in my house,
I felt like everything
Speaker:that was in the house was
a choice I felt okay about.
Speaker:Right. So I made that choice,
I decided what was available
Speaker:and then that was the
extent of what I did.
Speaker:But there's so much out,
there's so much shame
Speaker:and judgment out there
connected to food and bodies.
Speaker:There is no reason for us to add to that.
Speaker:- We're recording this on the
Speaker:international day of the woman.
Speaker:Yeah. And,
Speaker:and one of the things
that I just wanna tell,
Speaker:tell everyone out there
is, is realize that
Speaker:your body is your body
Speaker:and whatever size it is, is what it is.
Speaker:And you do what you need to do for you.
Speaker:Don't let social media
Speaker:or someone else's image
of what they you should be
Speaker:drive you so much.
Speaker:It's it that just
boggles my mind that that
Speaker:that our media has that power.
Speaker:- Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:Media has a lot of power and,
Speaker:and our kids, you know,
starting with this new,
Speaker:the generation slightly
younger than my kids,
Speaker:we'll know nothing else.
Speaker:So we have, we, it's our
responsibility, I think to really,
Speaker:really empower them to
Speaker:just feel like they have
control over their choices.
Speaker:And yeah, it's hard. It's hard.
Speaker:'cause as I said, not
only our food system,
Speaker:but all of our systems are very,
Speaker:very biased.
Speaker:They're not very equitable.
Speaker:And so there's a lot that
we need to do on this side
Speaker:to give people the power to not be, not be
Speaker:so negatively impacted by
Speaker:- That.
Speaker:Well, the equity of food is something
Speaker:that we could do another entire
podcast on probably a whole
Speaker:series of podcasts on.
Speaker:Yeah. If we really wanted to.
Speaker:So, Chuck, do you have anything else
Speaker:that you'd like to add
before we close? No, I don't.
Speaker:- This has been a great conversation. Oh,
Speaker:- Thank you Jen.
Speaker:Last word comes from you
and then I'll close us out.
Speaker:- Oh, well I hope, you
know, we didn't talk
Speaker:so specifically about direct care workers,
Speaker:but in my mind all of these
messages apply to everyone
Speaker:and it's really more about
sort of understanding
Speaker:the choices that you make
Speaker:and the impacts that they
have on you personally
Speaker:and community and environment
Speaker:and, you know, seeking out the skills
Speaker:and tools that you can to,
Speaker:to be in control of those choices.
Speaker:And I'm happy to be a resource to people.
Speaker:- Thank you very much. And we will have
Speaker:that resource information
available through our, our DSP
Speaker:Wellness Matters podcast
links and everything.
Speaker:So thank you all for joining us.
Speaker:Tune in for future
episodes about taking care
Speaker:of our physical and mental
health and emotional health.
Speaker:I want to throw that in there.
Speaker:Episodes are available of, of,
Speaker:of our podcast on your
favorite podcasting services.
Speaker:This podcast is developed
by the University
Speaker:of Minnesota's Institute
on community integration.
Speaker:Wellness matters for direct
support is for the health,
Speaker:wellness, and self care of
direct support professionals
Speaker:because your wellness does matter.
Speaker:Thank you and we'll see
you on our next podcast.
