Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Happy Sunday. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. Whitney, what is going on? My friend?
[00:00:20] Speaker B: I am very happy to be out of quarantine. That's what's going on.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: Okay, so, yeah, so I remember last Sunday you were talking about how you felt like you had some crud and all the things, and then you texted me later that week and you're like, hey, you know that crud I had? Yeah, that was straight up Covid. So tell me, what has your experience been like? Because, you know, I'm sure we have a lot of listeners that, you know, have an experience and to have this, you know, encounter with someone who has had it, you can kind of speak to your experiences, especially as a healthy, you know, 30 something year old, you know.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you know, it's funny. Like, I had it, I guess it was a couple of weeks back and it's kind of strange because you never think you're going to get it. And honestly, in my mind, I was like, oh, I'm healthy, Whatever. I'm not. If I get it, I might not even know. But that day we recorded the show is when I started feeling the allergies. And I thought it was allergies, but one thing I'll say that was different is allergies are kind of like this changing thing each day for me, where it's like it kind of progresses and it's over. But, you know, Covid was different. Covid kind of hit fast. And honestly, for me, my experience was different than a lot of other people's experiences. I still lost the sense of smell, but I'm getting that back. I started getting that back actually really quickly to where it was like, kind of affecting like, like my senses. And like, I would get kind of nauseous when my smell came back because it was just so, like, interesting with what I was smelling right away. That was really strange. I mean, I remember, like, grabbing the Lysol and like smelling it and going, I can feel the smell. Like, I can feel, like the tingle, but I cannot actually smell Lysol. And that's when I was like, oh, this is real. Like, this is a real thing. So I wasn't feeling well. And I literally never run a fever. And if I do, like, my temperature is normally like 97, I'm kind of low on my temperature. And so I was running a fever on Thursday and it was like a couple Thursdays ago, and it was like 99 and I was like, oh, crap. And so I Call the student, not the student health center, umc. And let me tell you something. They were awesome. The process for a faculty staff. And I'll just shout out to our UA community right now, the process of, you know, a nurse asking you questions and kind of vetting through your symptoms, doing the health check, and then them getting you in touch with your caseworker and them checking on you. I mean, I was very impressed at how quickly everything went down.
Props to UA because it was very efficient.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: Oh, that is so good. And, you know, thinking about, you know, how you had been feeling and everything else, and actually, I do want to ask, have you had the vaccine yet in any capacity?
[00:03:10] Speaker B: No, I hadn't had the vaccine. And what was so interesting is my boyfriend had been around me when I was probably the most contagious. And then once we found out, he had to quarantine and watch his symptoms. And then I had to quarantine because I had symptoms, and I did test positive. And he waited the allotted time that, you know, they advised him to wait and went and got tested, and he was negative and never had one symptom, and he had had one round of the vaccine. So I don't know if he just got lucky and didn't catch it or if the vaccine literally had helped him with that first round.
And I'm not eligible until, you know, 90 days from, I guess, the onset of symptoms, so they have to keep checking in with me.
But, yeah, we're kind of thinking, you know, that first round really helped him out.
Wow.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Well, thank you for, you know, sharing your experience. I know that before we started the show today, you know, we. I asked you specifically, like, hey, can we talk about you having Corona? Because, you know, I think sometimes there can be these, like, these different feelings that people experience when they do have it, because there can be this sense of, did I do something wrong? Did I, you know, put others at risk? But it really. I think, if anything, it just shows, like, how pervasive the virus can be, even those that are being the most diligent at protecting themselves. So thank you for sharing your. Your experience.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And I will say this because I know we're coming up on a break. You know, you're right, Sheena. I kind of prefer talking about it because I think that. And I know with certain, you know, restrictions being on UA campus, we have to be very mindful of people's privacy. But, like, personally, for me, I was kind of letting people know because I liked comparing stories. And one thing that I noticed Is everybody's experiences were very different. I talked to colleagues that were older than myself, and they, like, barely had anything. I was, like, pretty s. Like, I had shortness of breath, and that's something. Like, I'm healthy, and I never experienced that before. And I'm still dealing with some drainage and, like, a head fog sometimes. So it's just really weird. It's just a very strange thing. So I encourage people to, you know, really talk about it, honestly.
[00:05:15] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I am just so glad that you are healthy enough to be with us this afternoon for the show and to talk about that experience. And y', all, like Whitney said, we. We do have a break coming up, but we've got a fabulous show. It is National Nutrition Month, so of course, we're going have the best of the best as we talk about that today. But you guys were taking a quick break. Grab something to drink, take your temp, Whatever you need to do. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:05:48] Speaker C: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: Welcome back. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney. And I almost forgot what I say, because I have a head fog, because we were just talking about how I got over coronavirus, and it was. It was absolutely no fun. But, you know, one thing I will say, and I firmly believe this helped me through it, was trying to make sure I was getting the right nutrients and the right vitamins that I needed. I upped my vitamin C. And y' all can tell me if this is wrong or not, because y' all are dietitians. But, like, literally, I upped it to, like, the max amount. I was like, I'm going to, like, increase my immune system to fight off this, you know, terrible virus. But I upped my vitamin C. I was trying to, like, eat healthier things, and I think it helped. I think it definitely helped me bounce back. So kind of in light of, you know, National Nutrition Month, I think if you're suffering from the virus right now, maybe go grab you some tangerines and oranges.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Hey, I am all on board for that, you know, because I think that that can be so helpful, even from the sense of a placebo effect. I know that that sounds terrible, but I think that sometimes when people get in the mindset of they actively doing something for their health, especially when it comes to starting to eat in a very intentional way, it's a game changer. And so. So thank you for doing that, my friend. And I'm glad that, that, that, that felt like it was a game changer for you and you guys.
We've got a great guest today. You know, Whitney and I, we know people. We know all the people. And. And today we have Cindy Huggins. She has been a guest on our show before, actually, when we were talking about National Nutrition Month last year. And she's a registered d.
Well, as a certified diabetes educator at DCH's Outpatient Diabetes Nutrition and Education Center. And, Cindy, oh, my goodness. Just thank you so much for being with us today.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: Thanks, Whitney. And Sheena, I'm glad to be back. You know, last time we met, we were on the front end of coronavirus, and hopefully now we're coming to the end of it there. But I'm happy to be here and talk nutrition at this very important moment in this horrible pandemic.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Yeah, no, you bring up a good point because I, like, I keep forgetting about that because, you know, March Madness to me now just has a new meaning overall, like, when we think about what that looks like. And, you know, Cindy, you have been with us before, but, you know, I do want to remind our listeners of, you know, your background and your role at dch. So tell us a little bit about your professional and academic background.
[00:08:30] Speaker C: Sure. Well, I've actually kind of grew my roots in at the University of Alabama. I obtained my undergrad as well as my master's in food and nutrition and human nutrition. There.
I ventured out into the world and dabbled a little bit in oncology, nutrition and bariatric nutrition, food management, which I probably will never go back to.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: It does sound terrible. I'm not going to lie.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: It's stressful.
Stressful taking care of other people.
In that sense, I do have a kid who is alive, but I brought myself back home after I ventured off, and I'm now back where I started in Tuscaloosa here at DCH Regional Campus. I am at the DCH Diabetes and Nutrition Education center most of my time. I'm also an adjunct instructor there with you guys at ua, teaching nutrition for performance there and with my certification in diabetes education. I don't know if you've heard this, but we've had a name change. We are now.
Let me get it right.
Diabetes certified Diabetes Care and education Specialist.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: I like it.
[00:09:49] Speaker C: We're no longer CDEs. We've transitioned to that acronym. I can't say yet, but.
So majority of my time is dealing with those with diabetes, but also mingle in any other nutritional concerns the community may need from weight Management to general helpful eating.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: That's awesome. Okay, this is going to be a totally random question, because this is, like I said, I've got this, like, weird brain fog going on since having Covid. And, like, y' all can answer this question for me. You know the commercial, it has a lady on it, and she's checking her, I guess, her blood sugar, but it's this patch on her arm. Do you all know which commercial I'm talking about? And it's like Bluetooth with your phone.
My question is, does that patch have to go on the arm or can it go somewhere else? Because that distracts me every time I watch the commercial.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: Sydney, I will let you answer that.
[00:10:42] Speaker C: I don't know, I just think. And if I'm thinking of the same commercial, what you're referring to is a continuous glucose monitor.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: Yes. Okay.
[00:10:52] Speaker C: And the little swish they do over their arm with their phone or with the device that the company gives them is going to read their blood sugar.
It can be put in other places. I have a colleague who lives with type 1 diabetes, and she will often wear it on her thigh.
But you're right, it depends on where the comfort level is, because there's some attire that she will wear that will mess with the arm and therefore she'll switch it up. But then as short season comes around, we might go back to the arm. So it's all about that comfort level. But, yes, you can put it in other places.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: Well, it was just funny because, number one, I think it's really, really cool. Like, when they show the commercial, I was like, that's really neat. Like, literally, you just swipe your phone over it. And then I was like, what an interesting, like, placement. But then it was for the commercial. Anyway. That's just my thought for the day.
[00:11:45] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:11:46] Speaker B: No, it is.
[00:11:46] Speaker C: And it's a game changer for people with diabetes. Sure.
[00:11:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:50] Speaker C: Stick their finger all throughout the day and just having that wonderful device for them. So my colleague would tell you she doesn't even notice it on most days, and she's only pulled it out, I think, once. She may correct me later on in her life. And she's been living with it for a decade or so.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: Wow, that's so cool. Well, and I'm curious, too. You know, with your role with the DCH diabetes nutrition programs that you guys do, I mean, what's the target population? I'm imagining, like you said, it's just giving general nutrition advice. But also you're working with diabetic patients. You know, what does that look like on a day to day basis?
[00:12:31] Speaker C: The majority of our time here is spent towards our diabetes self management training program, which is a 10 hour program that people with diabetes come through to learn the tools to manage their diabetes, which we all know, just as it focuses on National Nutrition Month, everybody's different, so what that's going to look like for them is different. So that's where we come in and specialize. But with that target population being mostly people with diabetes, majority of that subset is going to be those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with a smaller percentage of type 1 diabetes from that target population.
And then along on the side of that I would say I'm more 50, 50 diabetes. And then other medical nutrition therapy, counseling sessions that come through the door.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: And you know, with those that go through your classes, Cindy, do you have a lot that, you know, they get so gung ho about this that they want to continue that education and they pursue having one on one nutrition counseling sessions with you? Or do you feel like most people like after they finish the classes they're like, okay, I'm set, like I'll come back, you know, if I need that. Or do you have a lot that are still yearning for more support and they like that accountability of, of having some follow up one on one interaction with you in tandem with those classes?
[00:13:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So since the unfortunate Covid, we are right now holding our classes all one on one sessions. So it's more personalized at the moment. Personally, I love being in front of a group and the group gets more out of each other sometimes than me preaching at them and that's what I really miss. But at the moment we are all one on one going through this nutrition and diabetes education.
But at the end of the program, at the end of their 10 hours, there are good bit who actually say, okay, what do you mean? That's it, I'm done, I graduated. We literally graduate them and most will come back for what we call an annual follow up, which insurance typically pays for. You get two hours every year after your initial education and it's really just a hello, how are you? What can we help you with and keep this accountability going?
[00:14:50] Speaker B: I love the idea of accountability because I mean it's like with anything we do, whether it's nutrition and seeing a registered dietitian or a personal trainer.
And so I think, you know, it's just a nice little reminder that we have these programs in the community and that you guys, you know, shed light on diabetes education. Because I feel like when this is something New for somebody just like anybody, you need that extra layer of support and accountability.
[00:15:18] Speaker C: And I love that you said support, Whitney. That's what we bring. We bring a whole lot of support and give a whole lot of hope to these individuals because they think they're lost on certain levels.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: Well, I know that you're so lucky to have you and the rest of the staff at dch and I know just from knowing you personally, you have such a wealth of knowledge. And I'm excited that we have you on the show today. We do have to take a quick break, but Cindy, after the break, we want to pick your brain about National Nutrition Month, what that's all about. But you guys grab something to drink again. Check your temp. Do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:16:00] Speaker C: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:16:07] Speaker B: Welcome back to let's see if it to be tied on 90.7 the capstone on this lovely Sunday afternoon. Thanks for joining us and talking about nutrition because it is National Nutrition Month. And you know, I'm curious for both of you guys. You know, y' all are registered dietitians. This is what you do. So I'm sure that you have, you know, lots of programs and projects and things going on. But I am just kind of curious, you know, this year's theme of National Nutrition Month. I am looking at my notes and I am totally cheating, but it is personalize your plate.
Let's talk about that for a minute. What does personalizing your plate or this theme mean this year?
[00:16:51] Speaker C: Well, I think so far this is the best theme that has come about through National Nutrition Month, which is an annual campaign geared to really just saturate the community with a wealth of science, evidence based nutrition education. And this personalizing the plate is kind of what I was alluding to in the first segment, that everybody's different.
Their plates are going to look different because their nutritional needs are different, their lifestyle.
You know, I teach, you know, nutrition for performance.
So an athlete plate is going to look a lot different than a non athlete or a recreational athlete. They may have the same basis and the same foundation, which is again, what I love about the nutrition education process. We grow from that basic nutrition knowledge, but everybody's different if we haven't looked around and noticed. So why shouldn't our food be different?
No.
[00:17:52] Speaker A: Yeah. You're so right. Cindy and Whitney, I totally cut you off. I just apologize. Go for it, girl.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: Well, I was just saying, like, I think it's cool because that's kind of how fitness is. You know, like, we have guidelines and we have recommendations to decrease, you know, the risk of, you know, illness and disease. And that's something that, you know, the science has been there to back it up, but when it comes to our individual clients, their workouts look very differently. And so I like that we're kind of breaking the cycle of this is what you should eat. Because there's so many things out there that tell you, like. Like, this is, you know, like, I get YouTube ads all the time. Well, this is what I eat. And I'm like, well, yeah, that's what you eat. You know, that doesn't mean that's what everybody and their nutritional needs are. But, Sheena, I'm curious what you were going to say.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: Oh, I was just going to say, you know, I love the point that Cindy brought up that, you know, everybody's needs are so different and they're shaped by a lot of different factors and, you know, even if it's not necessarily disease state or personal family history, but even cultural differences, too.
So I think it's really great that, you know, with the campaign this year, it's really challenging Americans to, you know, work on their nutrition, but really focus on it from a very individual perspective because, you know, needs are going to be different, you know, and it's going to look different depending on what your situation is. And, you know, I think that that's a great segue into this question of why do you guys think that healthy eating feels so complicated for the consumer?
You know, I have my thoughts on that, but I kind of want to throw it both of you. Like, why does it seem like even just living a healthy lifestyle in general just feels so complicated for individuals?
[00:19:38] Speaker C: I think much like we just mentioned with the YouTube things and the media that we are saturated with every day and inundated with all this information and how Google knows our every thought and our every move and our every action. And then, bam, here's an ad on, you know, cat litter that I just talked to my husband about.
They're really personalizing all of this media messaging, but not in a helpful way. Not talking about the basic guidelines, not talking about individual needs, chronic diseases.
And the messaging just keeps getting more and more convoluted as more and more people have a voice, which we want all to have a voice, but some need to hush when they.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: I think, Cindy, you're, like, dead on. And I'm not even a dietitian, but just on the fitness side, of things. Things that I see and I always gripe and complain about the media because it all comes down to money and people trying to make money off of people. And I think one reason why I personally think it's difficult to eat healthy is I think time sometimes. I think, and y' all probably hear this all the time from like the clients that you talk with. But I know that like the easier stuff to eat and make is it's cheap. And well, although eas, eating healthy is pretty cheap. I mean, if you really look at it, eating healthy can be very cheap. But I think it's the time that you have to put into preparing and actually eating your fruits and vegetables from all your food groups. I mean, it just can be kind of hard sometimes, I think.
[00:21:19] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think the getting started part is the hardest part because not only are you having all of this mixed messaging, but now you got to go out and do something about it. Which way go and that's where registered dietitian nutrition can really help you is to set that foundation, you know, and put you out into the grocery store, help you move around and help you understand your kitchen. And what simple and easy. Like you mentioned, you know, a lot of people come through and they say, ah, this is so expensive. It probably is because you're buying all of the top shelf stuff because you don't know what to get yet. So you just see this beautiful packaging which we call the health halo. It pulls you in and looks so good and nutritious, but it's not the best choice.
I have my soapboxes I go off on, I won't. But tomato sauce is like my biggest pet peeve. There's like a thousand in the dairy section. A billion. When I can tell you go and get the Hunt's $1 spaghetti sauce traditional at the bottom. If you want to try to cut back on the sodium and so the sugars, let's add some tomatoes, some onions and other veggies which are pre chopped in the frozen food section, throw them in a pan and you've just, you know, increased your nutrition, saved a lot of money and quite easy. Spaghetti in my household is like times a week. So we got to spice it up in different ways.
[00:22:47] Speaker A: Well, and too, I think, you know, there is also, you know, what is everyone's perception of healthy? Because I, you know, I have joked a lot of times on the show where, you know, when I have a patient that comes in and they say they want to eat healthy, if I were to take an intersect of their brain in terms of what they actually mean with that. It is this very curated Pinterest board of okay, I'm going to eat, I'm going to go big or go home with this. I'm going to, you know, if I'm going to eat a salad, it's got to be beautiful, it's got to come from a mason jar and it's got to be beautifully stacked. If it's not photo worthy, then I'm not eating healthy. And, and I think that that puts a lot of pressure on an individual. And again, you know, they feel like they've got to follow like this very specific program.
And you know, so many times I'm working with my patients about, about intuitive eating and really that just means like starting to, you know, really honor those cues that are coming from our body. And we get so bombarded with a lot of external messaging and these rules that we hear from very well intentioned people like even fellow dietitians where it's like, oh, you know, don't eat, you know, after 7pm or don't eat this or you know, you shouldn't have snacks or whatever else. And it's like, okay, but my body is telling me otherwise. I guess I'll listen to my dietitian because obviously my body, I guess it doesn't know what it's talking about, you know. And so we have trained ourselves to really not listen to what our body needs, but instead we listen to a lot of external messaging. And I think that it's time to just kind of marry that knowledge of nutrition with also honoring what our body is telling us at the same time, you know.
[00:24:25] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome. And you know, it's the same thing with exercise. And I'll keep going back to that. We are trainers or you know, fitness professionals that have very specific ideas on how to exercise may give you a workout and say this is what you need to do. And it might not be the best workout for that person. But I like the idea of intuitive eating because you kind of have to stop and think like you have things in your body that make you feel like you need to eat something or make you thirsty. And sometimes when we're out of tune with that, we don't realize it. And I think maybe turning off the TV and actually like sitting there quietly, like I love to sit there quietly and not watch anything and eat my food. I don't know why, just it's just a really good experience.
[00:25:12] Speaker C: Yeah, it's great for you. Well, I have found myself sitting on the couch with a laptop in hand, my phone in another hand, with a plate beside me on the couch and the TV on. And at that moment, that was when I'm like, nope, this is done. This is over.
I don't even know what I'm eating at this point.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:25:33] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Well, you know, we're talking about, like, you know, we get all these messages, what is credible, what is not. And, you know, Cindy, after the break, I do want to ask your thoughts on, you know, what should consumers be looking for if they, if they do find some nutrition information, how can they verify that it's coming from a credible source? So we're going to leave you all on that cliffhanger. We're going to take a break. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:26:01] Speaker C: Wvuafm. Tuscaloosa.
[00:26:08] Speaker B: Thanks for spending Sunday with us, Tuscaloosa. And you're listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena Whitney. And it's National Nutrition Month. And I think we owe it to our audience to give some guidelines, just to kind of talk about the dietary guidelines for Americans for the next four years, five years. And so, Cindy, thanks for being on our show with us and just giving us your knowledge. And I think sometimes with nutrition, I mean, I love food.
I mean, I enjoy sitting down and eating. We just talked about that. And being able to use all of your senses and your or intuitive eating and being fully present and kind of listening to your body, listening to what it needs. And I think sometimes we do need a little. We do need guidance. I mean, we are so hypersensitive and everything's turned on and we have screens everywhere. And so I think sometimes we need those guidelines. I'm just curious if you could share with us the dietary guidelines for Americans as we move forward.
[00:27:09] Speaker C: Sure.
I can bullet point and sum up here. And then this is what we do in everyday sessions is try to break it down, personalize it, much like the theme, but also bring it back to the basics so everybody understand what's going on. And part of National Nutrition Month's key messaging is actually what we previously talked about. It's avoiding distractions while eating and taking time to really enjoy your food.
So number one recommendation right there it is, I don't care what you eat. Maybe right now, perhaps it's just moving away from electronic devices and sitting down and just having that moment.
But when we're looking at what kind of goes on that plate and what the National Nutrition Month Key messaging tells us in the Dietary Guidelines is it all comes down to getting a variety of food. And I know when I say that to clients, it gets very overwhelming because they're like, what do you mean, a variety of food? Well, if I can take you back to the basic basics in elementary school maybe, where I hope we're still learning the food groups, it really boils down to that. How many food groups is on your plate right now?
[00:28:18] Speaker B: Can.
[00:28:18] Speaker C: Can y'. All. Well, I'm going to pick on Whitney.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: Whitney, can you.
[00:28:21] Speaker C: Groups.
[00:28:22] Speaker B: Okay. I'm going to see if I can think about it, because I know the pyramid's changed a lot since when I was learning, but I'm going to say fruits and veggies, grains, dairy and some type of protein source.
[00:28:34] Speaker C: Yes. Oh, perfect.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: Is that it? Or did I.
[00:28:39] Speaker C: We have an honorary food group member.
[00:28:41] Speaker A: Fats.
[00:28:43] Speaker C: But, you know, the MyPyramid you spoke of is kind of our imaging on how to really educate the community on better nutrition. But now we teach people off of what's called MyPlate. So it's a literal plate that's divided up into sections to show you that there's a variety of food on the plate, but also it practices some portion control.
So these types of recommendations that I give to clients about following what we refer to as the plate method, or MyPlate, they look a little bit dumbfounded when I introduce them to it because they're like, this is too easy. What do you mean? I just gotta put things right there. And that's really where it begins. It's not easy when you start that backwards thinking of meal planning, because you are focusing on fruits and vegetables instead of. Most of us, especially Southerners, we like to start with the meats or the proteins and go from the starches and move on there.
So it's really starting where you are on that plate, introducing new food groups and hopefully getting to where you can have a variety of food groups at a meal, if not all throughout the day.
[00:29:53] Speaker A: You know, as I was looking at the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and reading about the key changes for this newest addition compared to others actually had read. And I wanted to make note of it, so I didn't misquote it, but it was saying that this was the first time that the Dietary Guidelines had provided guidance by stage of life from birth to older adulthood, even including pregnancy and lactation, because that was something that I think had been missing in previous editions as far as those recommendations for even the tiniest of humans. And I think that that can be helpful. For parents or even, you know, babysitters when they're trying to figure out like, hey, should this toddler be having, you know, this, that or whatever.
Yeah, but just toddler that emphasis that it's never too early or too late to, to have healthy habits still, you know, certain nutrition patterns and behaviors. And so I thought that that was really cool that they kind of broke down recommendations by each stage of life. To me, that seems very user friendly and more practical. So I thought that that was really cool. So maybe that was just me geeking out as a dietitian.
[00:31:00] Speaker C: No, no, I love it too, because you're right, it's never been there in the past. And this is for the general population, not just dietitians giving over recommendations. This is for legit, the population to go and look at and use these guidelines. But another interesting poll, as I was reading through the Dietary Guidelines, is the focus on understanding the Nutrition Facts label, because it also can be part of that mixed messaging. And so if we learn how to approach that nutrition facts label, then that might give us a little bit more comfort when shopping and looking for better choices there. And so I know that they changed it up over the past. I don't even remember when they actually changed. A couple years, three years, time flies now, I don't even know. But you've probably noticed that calories are bigger on the Nutrition Facts label. While calories, they're a source of energy and they are indeed important.
We really want to know what makes up that calorie. So they've added in a few things below that caloric level on the food label, things like added sugars.
So this has been a real hot discussion in the Dietary Guidelines and across the health field because starting really at infancy, the amount of added sugars, and for those of you who aren't understanding of that word, that literally means the manufacturer or the producer has literally added sugar, whether it be table sugar, sugar, honey, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, but they have added it to the product to increase that sugar value and the sweetness of it. And what we know and what we've seen through literature and research is that that is honestly what's being a big hindrance and bringing on chronic diseases really early in life.
And you know, as a dietitian, you know, we do believe all food can fit, but we've got to be able to understand where are the better choices by looking at those nutrition facts are that label. And I love to share with my clients a simple, quick way to do so is what I call the 520 Rule 5% in that dietary value on the side of your nutrition facts labels. I know y' all can't see me, but I'm actually
[00:33:21] Speaker B: there.
[00:33:21] Speaker C: But the present daily value that's located on the right of your nutrition facts label any nutrient that has 5% or less, that's considered low for that nutrient. All right, anything 20% or more, that's considered high. So when we're looking at something like added sugars, the closer to 5% we can get and maybe a little bit under not saying we're going to get there every time, that might be some good guidance in comparing different brands to try to find the best bet. And no, it doesn't have to be zero, zero at all. But we want to make sure again that we're trying to watch the amount of added sugars, especially in our infants, toddlers and children and adolescents and, you know, even council adults every day. And that's their number one thing that they say, okay, I can live without it. Let's move on.
[00:34:17] Speaker A: Well, you know, I am glad that you brought up that point with the added sugars on the new label in particular, because I know with the older nutrition facts label, it would say, you know, total GR grams of carbohydrate and then it would say sugars. And I would have patients so many times that say, well, you know, I don't, I don't eat yogurt because it has so much sugar in it. And I'm like, let's talk about where that sugar comes from. And we'll mention the fact that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. And so if we're looking at the, you know, ingredients label of, you know, their favorite Greek yogurt, and we see that the first three ingredients, it's like, you know, low fat skim milk, frozen strawberries, you know, we can, you know, use that reasoning to think like, okay, these are natural sugars that are coming from, like the milk sugars from that milk, you know, the frozen strawberries. You know, we're not seeing words like high fructose corn syrup as, you know, one of the first ingredients. So I think now with it explicitly saying, you know, added sugars, that can help delineate between those natural occurring sugars and the added ones. And people aren't so freaked out by the word sugars in general, but they feel a little bit more enlightened about what exactly that means and even, maybe even more closely looking at the ingredients label so that they can do some self education of that particular Product. It does drive me crazy, though, that with, like, say, kids, yogurts, there is a lot of added sugar because they want that to taste extra yummy for the child. And I'm like, dude, these are not the people that like me that, like. You know what I mean?
[00:35:44] Speaker B: So, yeah, why not start it? Why. Why start the sugar so early? And it's just that addictive property. I feel like I don't know a lot about it, but I'm. I would imagine the less sugar you put in something and your kids start eating it the way it's meant to be eaten, they're not going to have as many issues later in life. I don't know. It just seems like a trend that's happening. So anyway, no, you know, you totally.
[00:36:06] Speaker A: You are on the right train thought process, my friend.
Okay, y', all, another break. We've got our last five minutes. And Cindy, do you mind staying with us for our last segment?
[00:36:18] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:36:19] Speaker A: Perfect. Okay, y', all, we're taking a break. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone
[00:36:28] Speaker C: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:36:35] Speaker B: Welcome back, friends, to Fit to Be Tied. And as always, I feel like we've had an amazing show, and honestly, I love it when we talk about nutrition. It's actually, I think, one of my favorite things to talk about because I'm not as versed on nutrition because I'm all on the fitness side, and. And so I always look forward to having guests on our show. And of course, you know, Cindy, you being on today and, you know, enlightening us. And Sheena, you always bring. Bring the fire too. So, I mean, it just always works out really well.
But yeah, thank y' all for, you know, just offering your. Your advice, your new. Your nutrition advice. And hopefully my brain will get less foggy as we go on because I'm not not lying about this. The COVID fog brain is a real thing, people. So maybe we need to look at some. Some foods to brace.
Brace. See, I can't even talk to boost brain health. So anyway, I might get y' all to help me with that.
[00:37:31] Speaker A: You are totally good. Well, you know, since we do have, like, such a short amount of time before the show ends, I thought would be cool for us to all go around and, you know, just leave our words of advice to our listeners when it comes to, you know, embracing a healthy lifestyle, whether comes to, you know, focusing on your nutrition or focusing on fitness. Whitney. And so, you know, Cindy, for our listeners you know, what advice would you want to share as your biggest takeaway that you would want our listeners to have from being with us?
[00:38:03] Speaker C: Well, if I only have 30 seconds, and I think I do, I want to shout to people to focus on them and no one else. It's journey and find color in your food. Literally, when you're looking at your plate, I try to give a recommendation or a goal, have three or more colors on your plate that could represent that you're getting a variety of nutrition and that's a good starter point. And also to make sure that we do have meals, make time to stop and eat when we skip meals. That opens up so many doors for disordered patterns later on in the day, the in the month and the year in the life. So allow yourself that time to really nourish your body.
[00:38:51] Speaker A: I love that. Thank you. Oh, my gosh. That was fabulous. Whitney, what sage advice do you have, my friend?
[00:38:57] Speaker B: You know, I am going to piggyback off of what Cindy said and, you know, relate it more to fitness. You know, we are all individual, we are all different. And I think that you have to know your body, you have to know what you are comfortable doing. And I am actually going to give people some advice to start doing yoga because I have. I did a presentation last week about some yoga basics. Had a lot of good feedback, and it made me realize that that one form of exercise can open the door to a lot of things. And we talked about intuitive eating, which is when you do yoga, you're more mindful, you're more aware of your surroundings. And so I just encourage people to maybe try something new and just give it a shot. Sheena, what about you?
[00:39:40] Speaker A: I love that. And so I love what both of y' all said because I'll try to wrap it up for us in a tight bow. And I apologize to our listeners who have heard say this before. You know, I've given a shout out to Kara Harbstreet, who is another dietitian, but she has this thing where basically she says, like, whatever you do in terms of like nutrition or physical activity, you want to ask yourself, are you doing it from a place of love for your body or a place of hate for your body? And I challenge folks all the time that if you're thinking about eating a certain way, you're exercising a certain way, you know, come from a place of love, do it because you're practicing self care. Don't look at physical activity as something that's punitive. You know, try to find movement that you get joy from. Same thing with nutrition. You know, don't see it as eating a certain way to punish yourself, but think about it in a way of nourishment and taking care of yourself and having that positive mindset. And the things that you both mentioned in terms of, you know, what that looks like for the individual, I just love that. And I love having these collaborative discussions with fellow health minded folks. And, you know, for our listeners today, you know, we just challenge you to, you know, reflect on your own. You know, what kind of things do you want to do for yourself? You know, we're in March. We're still at the beginning of the year. It's not too late to set those goals for yourself for the year in terms of, you know, how you want 2021 to be defined in terms of your health. So with all that said, happy Sunday, y'.
[00:41:11] Speaker C: All.
[00:41:11] Speaker A: You have been listening to Fit to Be Tied. Cindy, thank you for being with us.
[00:41:16] Speaker C: Of course. Thank you.
[00:41:17] Speaker A: And Whitney, just, you're always fabulous. We get to tag team with this every week.
You guys have a wonderful week. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
