Q&A with Future Dietitian: What You Need to Know about Nutrition today

As our world is evolving and our societal norms are being challenged, it can be frustrating trying to filter through all of the noise in today's media. For me, I try to do as much research as I can for clear and concise thoughts. A valuable resource that I like to utilize are individuals close to me of whom I respect. Perhaps a mentor who is an expert on the topic, someone who is credible through education and work. In this blog post, I am happy to share with you all, my second Q & A, all about nutrition. I received an immense amount of positive feedback and support on the first question and answer post, I have been waiting to write the next one.

About a month ago, I asked my friend Katie if she would set aside some time for me to pick her brain on all things nutrition and ask her some of my most pressing questions to write this blog post to share with you all today. The questions addressed below, were a combination of questions asked by my Instagram followers, me and frequently asked questions to Katie in her everyday life.

Here is a little bit about the future dietitian herself. Katie Beedle is a 2019 college graduate from the University of Minnesota. She obtained her Bachelor's in Nutrition and an Accreditation from an ACCEND didactic program in dietetics. Today, she works as an Advanced Nutrition Aide at a hospital in Minnesota but on the side continues her studying to take the dietetic technician, registered exam (DTR). In passing the exam, this will help her work more hands on with dietitians in the field as well as applying her more of her medical nutrition therapy knowledge (MNT). And above all, she is an amazingly bright human and I am lucky to call her a friend. I learned so much in writing this blog post and hope you all do as well.

Before we continue, here's a message from Katie: I just want to preface that I am NOT a registered dietitian and am not claiming any of this to be medical advice. These are things I have learned through my undergraduate degree in nutrition and have continued to research since graduating, but these are tips and tricks that work for me, and are not to be used in place of professional help. If you have any health issues I strongly urge you to get advice from a licensed professional.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your journey with nutrition and your career path.

So unfortunately, I initially got interested in nutrition due to my interest in wanting to be skinny. I had a really unhealthy relationship with food and body image -- I basically wanted to know more about what I could put in my body to look a certain way. My major was undecided in my freshman year of college, and knew I wanted to do something to help people but wasn’t quite sure how that could be turned into a career other than nursing. Once I learned that my school (the University of Minnesota) had a great dietetics program, it was kind of like, oh, why didn’t I think of this before?! After that, I got accepted into the program and learned so much about nutrition; I cannot wait to further that knowledge in grad school and become a registered dietitian. Ever since I started educating myself on what I eat and how it can directly affect not only my health, but the planet as well -- I cut meat and dairy out of my diet and have truly never felt better.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your career?

I think the most rewarding part of my career and interest in nutrition is knowing that food is something everybody eats and needs to survive! Therefore, nutrition is something everyone can benefit from. If I can help just one person better understand how to fuel their body, this not only can help with their physical health, it can benefit their overall quality of life.

Proper nutrition is so important to living a happy and healthy lifestyle, and the lack of education in our country regarding nutrition blows my mind. I hope that someday my work can lead towards nutrition education, as well as mental health education being taught in schools so kids can have a chance to grow up understanding that what they put in their body directly affects their overall wellness.

Q: What are some common nutrition myths?

There are so many I don’t even know where to begin...I think the one that makes me the most frustrated is the demonization of carbohydrates. The simplest way to explain it is that our bodies are designed to use glucose as fuel, and carbohydrates are composed of glucose. This is why it is recommended to get 45-65% of our daily calories from carbohydrates, because they are the food that gives us energy! Low-carb diets not only don’t work, but they are extremely detrimental to our bodies. Eating a diet that is based around only proteins and fats forces our bodies to use alternative metabolic pathways to convert these nutrients into fuel for our bodies, which produces ketone bodies and other harmful substances our bodies have to excrete. We need carbohydrates, and that includes not only a diet full of fruits and vegetables (which are carbs), but also whole grains, and yes this includes bread and pasta!! You need a variety of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat in your diet for your body to thrive.

Another nutrition myth I despise is that it is too late in life to start eating healthy and it won’t do any good to try at this point. That couldn’t be further from the truth... Our cells go through the process of apoptosis, meaning they are programmed to die to make room for new, healthy, cells. Our bodies are constantly regenerating themselves, meaning you have completely new cells in your body from last year, or even last month. This process continues throughout all of your life, so if you are 70 years old and think it's too late to start eating healthier because you’ve done so much damage through your diet or lifestyle throughout your whole life, you’re wrong! It is literally never too late to make a change for your health, your body is doing everything it can to keep you healthy and alive and it’s never too late to give it new tools to thrive.

Lastly, I highly dislike the all or nothing mentality of not just nutrition, but overall health. For so long I was stuck in the mindset that if I gave into the urge to eat something sweet (or something else I had decided was unhealthy for me) it would cancel out all of the nutritious food I had eaten that day. Or, if I didn’t do an hour long, high-intensity workout that burned x number of calories, I had failed. Being able to understand that it’s okay if you only did a ten minute ab workout, or a twenty minute stretch, that's not a failure, it’s ALWAYS better than nothing. Over time, even small efforts like this can have an impact on your health. The same goes for nutrition. You don’t have to eat kale for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and cut refined carbs (or whatever food it is that you are told is bad for you) out of your diet to do something beneficial for your body. Making small changes can work wonders for your health, so be patient and understanding with yourself. Don’t give up if you just had one bad moment, day, or even year! Keep pushing through.

Q: What are some great healthy sweet treats?

I’m the kinda gal that if I’m gonna do something ‘bad’ I may as well do it good. So if I’m going to get dessert... I want all the dessert! But I try not to let myself get into the habit of that because I see how it affects the way my body functions (digestion, skin, and energy are the three I see most quickly affected by the quality of the food I’m eating). So... that being said, I do like to have something sweet most days! I eat a mostly plant based diet so I have been trying to find treats without dairy or gelatin in them, and those two sneak their way into SO many sweets you wouldn’t believe it!

I don’t know if desserts can necessarily ever be qualified as ‘healthy’ but these are some of the few I treat myself to on a regular basis:

Justin's Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

When I say I would die for these, I’m not kidding. These butter cups are that good! I typically prefer peanuts and peanut butter to almonds BUT for this brand I have tried both and very much prefer the almond butter cups. Not sure why but they are so so good, can't recommend them enough! They are a bit on the expensive side but if you’re wanting a healthier sweet, they tend to cost more unfortunately. (These are gluten and dairy free.)

Innofoods Dark Chocolate Nuggets

I get these dark chocolate nuggets from Costco so I’m unfamiliar if they are sold elsewhere but they are super yummy. And somehow packed with superfoods! I am obsessed and eat them on a regular basis. (These are gluten and dairy free as well.)

So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster Cashew-milk Frozen Dessert

This stuff is so good. If you are trying to cut dairy out of your diet but still crave ice cream I cannot recommend this to you enough! It is my favorite vegan ice cream, but has a good amount of sugar in it so I wouldn’t recommend eating it in one sitting, trust me, I’ve done it, and it hurt lol. Also if it is summertime, it is the perfect snack.

Wiley Wallaby Licorice

Last but not least, the Wiley Wallaby Licorice. This is one of my favorites when I don’t want something chocolatey but am more so craving sugar. Another one that I’m not sure I would classify as healthy but it is one of my favorites. (These are dairy free.)

Those are some of my favorites personally, but please remember that if you want an Oreo or piece of cake or whatever it is, it won't kill you. And if you suppress the urge all week, you’ll probably get around to Saturday and end up binging the whole container of Oreos. Eat the damn dessert!! Everything is better in moderation.

Q: What can I do if I am bored with just plain ole water?

I have heard great things about infusing waters. I honestly love to put mint and cucumber in my water, it just gives it such a refreshing flavor for the summer. Otherwise lemon water is one of my favorites as well. Another alternative is drinking tea. If you’re not big on caffeine there are herbal teas that are super yummy, and can be ingested either hot or cold.

Q: What are some nutritious meals that will keep you full /what do your typical meals look like in a day?

So I don’t eat meat or dairy typically so I don’t have any recommendations with those foods really --sorry in advance. However, my meals are pretty unstructured and am lazy in the kitchen, so I’ll include some of the stuff I eat on a regular basis that keeps me full.

Breakfast -

To start, on the days that I have off or have more time at home, I don’t have much of a structured meal schedule in the morning. I would typically just snack on fruit all morning and eat a meal when I’m hungry whether it's at 10 or 12. Not the healthiest, but I’m just being honest (we're all human). That might look something like: a slice of toast or a bagel w/ peanut butter and a banana or a smoothie.

My typical smoothie recipe: Frozen berries, spinach, orange juice, and Orgain Plant Based Protein Powder in vanilla. You could throw in hemp seeds for extra protein, or chia and flax seeds for some healthy fat. Typically those are the bases I stick with but I will throw in other stuff if I have it as well like kale or bananas.

If I get up early enough on a day I work to have a sit down breakfast, I would do the bagel or toast again, or I love oatmeal. It’s a bit heavier for the days that I’m not super hungry but it seriously fills me up for HOURS.

I’m super lazy about making food so I like to just get the Quaker oats that come in the little packets so I don’t have to add in my own brown sugar or anything (it saves me time in the morning). With those I will still typically add peanut butter (or your nut butter of choice) with a cut up apple or banana if I need lots of sustenance for a busy day. Otherwise if I want it to feel a bit lighter I will skip the peanut butter and add berries or goji berries (not sure why but I find these so tasty in oatmeal don’t come at me). Another thing I have learned recently is the power of spices in terms of antioxidants, turns out -- they are loaded with them!! So I sprinkle some cinnamon on mostly anything I eat for breakfast because for one, I like the way it tastes and two, no one can ever have too many antioxidants!

Another thing I love is peanut butter balls. I will pre-make these whenever I have time and pop them into the freezer and they are beyond easy to grab and run out the door with! I don’t have a specific recipe (typically I just google peanut butter energy bites, I choose the one that interests me and it will tell me the right proportions) but the ingredients I use are rolled oats, peanut butter, honey, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. These are loaded with healthy fats, carbs, and protein so they keep me full longer. I love being able to grab these and run, typically I would grab a banana or some fruit as well.

Sometimes, if I am really crunched on time and running out the door, I will literally slap peanut butter on a tortilla and put a banana in there and wrap it up. So fast and easy!!

Lunch / Dinner -

During the summer I have been loving a smoothie for lunch, not sure why but I’m going with it cause I love to get my fruits and veggies in! (I will use the same recipe as above.) Otherwise, for lunch and dinner, my meals are somewhat interchangeable.

Roasted vegetables and quinoa: This meal is beyond easy and so delicious. Trying to use up your produce? Throw it on a baking sheet and into the oven. I cannot emphasize the lack of effort necessary towards this meal while also having so much nutritious value. I have it every day. My favorite veggies to roast are carrots, potatoes, and broccoli just because I can cook them for the same amount of time and not worry about one burning. But, you could use any veggies you want and personally enjoy! I just throw them on the baking sheet with some oil (either olive or avocado are my preferences) and spices (my favs are garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper, yeah I know I need to diversify my knowledge of spices okay). I put it in the oven at 400 - 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, mixing it around halfway through and then it’s done! I’ll throw those on top of some quinoa (you could use brown rice but I prefer quinoa just because I know it is a complete protein source on its own) and you’ve got yourself a meal honey!

Tacos /burrito bowls:

I <3 Mexican food. And by Mexican food I mean chipotle. And it’s so easy to recreate something similar at home! I will buy the meatless crumbles by Gardin and sauté them on the stove with taco seasoning, but sometimes I skip this step if I don’t have it at home or feel like making a trip to the store. Everything else I throw in includes black beans, shredded lettuce, pico, guacamole, and corn. If I want a taco, I put it on a tortilla, if I want a burrito bowl/taco salad, I put it in a bowl. Super easy. If I am throwing it in a bowl I will typically include rice or quinoa as well just to make sure I’m getting some complex carbs in the meal along with the protein and fat.

Loaded sweet potatoes:

This one has become one of my favorite food combinations! All you have to do is cook a sweet potato (I pierce mine with a fork then wrap it in tin foil and put on a baking sheet, wrapping it up creates so much extra flavor and sweetness that I think makes a huge difference in the meal), then I cut it in half and put black beans and guacamole in it. Weird combo I know, but don’t knock it 'til you try it! This meal keeps me full for so long and tastes so good!

Salad:

If I’m not feeling super hungry or am feeling like I didn’t eat enough vegetables during the day I will make a salad. Similar to the roasted veggies, you can use whatever combination of vegetables you prefer. I like to use a base of mixed greens, then usually carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber that I have around the house to use. I like to also put quinoa or rice in with a salad because otherwise I don’t feel there is enough sustenance in it. You could also put beans or chickpeas in there. I usually go for an Italian or balsamic dressing, but it is better to try and recreate your own dressings, those are usually better for you!

Q: Do you take vitamins? If so, which ones do you

recommend?

Yes I do! Because I eat mainly plant based foods, I supplement calcium, iron, D3 (in the winter), B12 and B6. These are the nutrients I undersupply and need to work at to get into my diet on a regular basis. Though most of these can be found in plant-based foods, I would rather just cover my bases by supplementing them so I know I’m getting everything I need.

I would recommend most women to take an iron supplement. Unless you are eating red meat consistently (which I don’t recommend), you could most likely benefit from the extra iron intake. It is really common for women to become iron deficient, or even anemic, due to a variety of factors one of which being the amount of blood we lose each month during menstruation. When looking for a supplement, I make sure that it is plant based and doctor recommended. For iron I would be especially careful, a lot of times supplementing iron can result in constipation, but because I take iron that is sourced from fruits and vegetables and have had no problems with it.

When buying vitamin D, make sure you are getting D3, not D2. It will be specified on the bottle. D3 is the active form that our bodies can use, so if you buy D2 it’s probably not being absorbed and therefore is a waste of money.

Supplements are not required to be approved by the FDA, so be careful when buying them. Do your research!

Q: What are foods that support gut health?

Probiotics and fiber. I repeat... probiotics and fiber!!

Foods rich in probiotics include yogurt (I prefer dairy free yogurt, try the coconut milk yogurt by So Delicious, you won’t be disappointed) and kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut, or basically any fermented food. Also if you like kombucha those are jam packed.

I would not recommend supplementing probiotics, they usually need to be refrigerated to survive so if you are looking to order a room temperature pill you might not see much benefit from it.

Fiber is in any plant based source. You do need to make sure that you get a variety of both soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, so it helps keep your digestion moving and prevents constipation in terms of fluidity. It is found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, oats, etc. You also need insoluble fiber, which is the type of fiber that adds bulk to the stool, which is necessary for a functioning gastrointestinal tract. Insoluble fiber can be found in whole grains, nuts, beans, and some vegetables.

Q: Are greens as beneficial for you as they are talked up to be?

I actually love my greens powder, especially for days that I feel like I didn’t eat enough vegetables. I like them for everyday use because I struggle to get variety in my diet when I’m busy, so it includes nutrients from other fruits and vegetables that I might not eat on a daily basis. I like the Amazing Grass Green Superfood powder. You can grab it at target, and it is one of the brands I trust to actually put what they’re saying they do in the mix. I feel like it helps with my energy levels, bloating, digestion, and skin the same way vegetables and fruits do. (This product is completely vegan.)

Q: How much protein should you consume a day? Is it different depending on the person?

The exact calculation for protein is super simple actually. It is 0.8g of protein per day per kg of body weight. *This formula is for adults and differs for children who need more protein!* To break that down a bit more you find your body weight in kgs and multiply it by 0.8.

For example: Someone who weighs 140lbs can find their weight in kgs by dividing weight in pounds by 2.2 kilograms/pound. For this person, it would be (140lbs)/(2.2kgs/lbs) = 63.6kgs. Then you would multiply that by 0.8 to get (63.6kgs) x (0.8gs protein/kg) = 50.9gs protein/day.

The myth that you should be eating much more than that blows my mind. It's actually dangerous to get too much protein, it leads to build up of toxins in your body and most likely replaces the amount calories from other macronutrients needed in the diet. The RDA recommends a diet consisting of 45-65% calories from carbohydrates, 10-25% of calories from protein, and 20-35% of calories from fat.

Q: What are some of the benefits of being completely dairy free?

First and foremost, you don’t contribute to an industry that tortures cows!! How fun.

But nutrition wise, going dairy free can do a lot for your body. The benefits that I have noticed since going dairy free include clearer skin, more balanced hormones, reduced bloating and stomach aches associated with dairy, more energy and a less clouded head, and weight loss.

I truly believe that no one needs to eat dairy to live a healthy lifestyle. The only reason cows produce milk is the same as humans, breastfeed their children. The way humans get cows to produce that milk (sorry in advance for the graphic wording but it is crucial we know this) is by raping them, stealing their children from them, and stealing their breastmilk. And that milk is full of growth hormones that adult humans should not be ingesting. Dairy has been linked to breast cancer as well as thyroid issues as well. If you’re considering going dairy free I cannot recommend it enough for a healthy body, healthy planet, and a smaller contribution to the pain of animals.

Q: So, I have been hearing turmeric has a lot of health benefits. Is that true? If so, what are they?

Interestingly enough, research shows a large gap between the abundance of cancer in the United States and in India. A possible explanation that is looked at for this is the wide use of turmeric in Indian cooking. Specifically, the yellow pigment in turmeric called curcumin, is considered to be a carcinogen blocker. This means that it has the ability to prevent carcinogens (or cancer) from mutating DNA, as well as the ability to reduce the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. It works similar to antioxidants, which bind to harmful free-radicals in the body and essentially inactivate them. This research has seen the most progress in turmeric’s ability to work against lung and colon cancers. There still needs to be more research done on the ability of turmeric to be used as a carcinogen blocker.

So the short answer is that turmeric contains substances that may decrease your risk of getting cancerous cells, and basically just lead to overall healthier cells in your body. It has been proven to have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, and even has antidepressant abilities! Spices are amazing man.

Q: If I like to socially drink at bars or restaurants, what is a healthy way to go about it?

What a question!! I don’t know that there are healthy drinks, but there are definitely some that have lower carbs and calories in them which I think is what gets most people.

I think any type of hard seltzer takes the cake in this department. They are typically very low in calories and carbohydrates, yeah the bubbles might make you feel bloated but... what can ya do? If you don’t like those I know most light beers are comparable to truly's/white claws in terms of calories, they can’t quite compare in the carbohydrate amount though. Also, I am not a big wine gal (taste-wise), but I know red wine has a good amount of antioxidants and I think most wines are typically pretty low in carbohydrates and calories, but do your own research just in case you have a favorite you want to check! Again, I believe there is room for everything in moderation, so if you want a beer, drink a damn beer have fun but please, BE SAFE and drink responsibly.

Thank you to everyone who asked questions for this blog post, if you did not get the chance to ask your question or have follow-up questions after reading the blog post, I have linked Katie's email and media here. Please feel free to reach out to her personally!

Email: beedlekatie@gmail.com

Instagram: @katiebeedle

Both Katie and I had the best time conversing on the importance of health and nutrition for our bodies and minds to perform at its best. I hope you all gained some insightful nutrition knowledge in reading this post and are as excited as I am to implement them into your daily life.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and taking care of each other; until the next post.

Love to everyone,

SRS