Episode 62: Baking with Alternative Flours

When choosing a non-wheat flour to bake with, are there healthier options? It depends on how “healthier” is defined. And it isn’t always a 1:1 swap.

Special 5 2022: Eating Through the Holidays

This is the fifth of six special episodes for the holiday season 2022. These are extra episodes dropping on Tuesday in addition to the regular Friday episode.

This fifth episode addresses eating through the holidays and a mindset shift that can help with not letting it get out of hand.

Episode 61: Which Fats and Oils to Bake With

Is there better or healthier fat to bake with? With baking season here, I address whether there is a healthier or better fat to use in your baking.

Special 4 2022: Eat What You Love

This is the fourth of six special episodes for the holiday season 2022. These are extra episodes dropping on Tuesday in addition to the regular Friday episode.

This fourth episode is addressing eating what you love and enjoying food without guilt. It is okay to eat what you love. Any day of the week.

Episode 60: Do You Need a Sugar Detox?

This is part 7 of a series about sugar with today covering the topic of detoxing from sugar. It this an “addictive” substance that one needs to “detox” from.

Sugar is not a drug or a toxin - or is it?

Special 3 2022: Your Immune System, Nutrition, and Exercise

This is the third of six special episodes for the holiday season 2022. These are extra episodes dropping on Tuesday in addition to the regular Friday episode.

This third episode is addressing your immune system and how you eat and regular exercise can help or hinder a healthy immune system.

Episode 59: What Are Sugar Alcohols?

This is part 6 of a series about sugar with today covering sugar alcohols. What are they? What foods have them? How can we see if they are in our foods? And, are there negative consequences of consuming sugar alcohol? For some people, potentially yes.

Special 2 2022: Stress, Your Health, and the Holidays

This is the second of six special episodes for the holiday season 2022. These are extra episodes dropping on Tuesday in addition to the regular Friday episode

This second episode is addressing stress and how it affects your health overall. Stress can have a negative impact on your health and increase your risk of getting sick.

What can you do to minimize this?

Episode 58: Low-Calorie Sweeteners - Are They Safe? This is part 5 of a series about sugar with today covering some of the low-calorie sweeteners - also called non-nutritive sweeteners or “artificial” sweeteners. These are some of the more “feared” things in our food - but should we fear them? This episode covers four “tabletop” sweeteners and whether you should have concerns about them.

Special 1 2022: Self-Care, Nutrition, and Fitness for the Holiday Season

This is the first of six special episodes for the holiday season 2022. These are extra episodes dropping on Tuesday in addition to the regular Friday episode

This first episode is addressing your self-care during this time of year (and always), and I provide a nutrition tip with an actionable item and a fitness tip with an actionable item.

Episode 57: Types of Added Sugars This is part 4 of a series about sugar - with today covering various aliases of added sugars and how to distinguish between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar. And, sugar has more than 60 aliases - you might be getting some added sugar because it is going by a different name in some foods. What are the various sugar aliases and how do you find them?

Episode 56: Healthier Sugar Alternatives This is part 3 of a series about sugar - with today covering perceived healthier sugar alternatives. When people refer to sugar, they think of or refer to white granulated table sugar. And people will often assume or mistakenly think that if they use a sugar alternative – such as honey or agave nectar- they are making a healthier choice or something more “natural.” But are any of these healthier alternatives to white sugar? Let’s take a look at the facts.

Episode 55: Natural vs Added Sugars This is part 2 of a series about sugar - with today covering natural vs added sugars. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have included recommendations to reduce added sugars in our diets for several years. It recommends choosing an eating pattern low in added sugars - limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day for ages two and older and avoiding added sugars for infants and toddlers. Now the key phrase here is ADDED sugars. So, how can you determine the difference between natural vs added sugars in food? Listen to find out.

Episode 54: Carbohydrates vs Sugar This is part 1 of a series about sugar - starting with carbohydrates vs sugar. Sugar in the form of glucose is THE fuel for the brain, the fuel for all our cells, and the fuel for our muscles. So, when people make a blanket statement such as “sugar feeds cancer cells,” that is true, but only because sugar feeds ALL cells in the body. Get the scoop on carbohydrates vs sugar, a mini biochemistry lesson on sugars, the difference between carbohydrates and sugar, and simple vs complex carbohydrates.

Vitamin B? Something I see (and hear) is referring to “vitamin B” as a single nutrient. I am not getting enough “vitamin B.” I need more “vitamin B.” This food is a good source of “vitamin B.” If you know even a bit about vitamins, you probably already know that there is more than one B vitamin. There are eight, and some have more than one name. But do you need to supplement them - or are you doing okay?

Episode 52: Why Do Nutrition Recommendations Keep Changing?

Have you ever said or thought this: Nutritionists are constantly changing their minds? If people are allowed to change their minds, and dietitians are human, aren’t they given the same freedom as other humans? The field of nutrition, a science, is supposed to have the answers and never be allowed to deviate from the original recommendation or supposed solutions from the start. Nutrition is a science with biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry components. So, like many science fields, there is still a lot to learn and understand. Recommendations aren’t changed on a whim - I guarantee it.

Episode 51: Stop Judging Food Choices

Have you ever found yourself judging food choices? The food choices of others? Your own food choices? Both? This isn’t just observing what other people are eating but also commenting on their choices, either in your head or out loud. In today’s episode, I address why we should not shame people about their food choices and even consider how we judge our choices.

Episode 50: Why I Do the Real World Nutrition Podcast For this 50th episode, I have a different type of episode. I share a bit about where the content ideas come from, some of the things I have seen in my more than 20-year career, and how I serve people.

Episode 49: Do You Need IV Therapy?

Have you heard of IV therapy?

IV therapy is getting intravenous fluids outside a medical or hospital setting for therapeutic use and not for medical "need."

But recently, it seems like it is advertised a lot more. So what is it and is it beneficial>

Anyone who's ever been to the hospital, emergency department, or urgent care (or even seen this sort of thing on television) knows that an IV is a common way for the medical staff to deliver medications and assist with overall hydration.

IV therapy is available outside of this setting for apparently healthy people at medical spas, wellness centers, and even in your own home (not self-administered, but someone coming to your home to administer it).

Episode 48: What is Clean Eating?

Are you familiar with the term “clean eating” and what it means?

There is no official definition of clean eating.

Many "diets" or ways of eating are flexible, and the approach varies based on the individual. However, people generally consider "clean eating" as eating foods in their most natural state possible. At least, that's what I've gleaned from individuals and a search for this term on the internet.

The term "clean eating" is so vague it is difficult to quantify what it is AND if this is a healthier way to eat.

And based on these definitions and my experience, I find people who claim that they "eat clean" don't do it all the time. And will have a long list of exceptions.

I take a look are the various iterations of clean eating and whether it is healthier and sustainable.