Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
Happy Sunday, y'all. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And here we are back together again, my friend.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Yes. We had us a little break.
[00:00:18] Speaker A: We did. We did. So if you are faithful listeners and you are thinking, oh, my goodness, there, where, where was the latest episode? We were on spring break. You know, if you are finding us on the interwebs in a variety capacities, you may or may not realize that our show is tied with being at a university. And so we're at the University of Alabama and we recently had our spring break.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: During the month of March. Yes. And so, you know, I was telling our guest that normally in this first five minutes, I tend to go a little bit rogue on our conversation. We really don't know what we're talking about in the first five minutes until I hit the record button. And so the last time we were together, Nika, I was asking you a food related question. Maybe it was subconsciously because March is National Nutrition Month, but you may recall me asking about what your last supper would be. Should you be put on death row or whatever the case may be, you know, situations we don't necessarily want to entertain. But we are going to be talking about National Nutrition Month later today and we'll be having a guest on after the break. But with National Nutrition Month this year, I happen to notice that this year's theme is food connects us and really getting people to think about the fact that, you know, we eat for a variety of reasons. And one of those is for that social aspect, you know, bringing each other together, you know, maybe even thinking about certain dishes that friends or family members have made that have just really stuck with us. And so I'm kind of curious, Nika, is there a dish in your family or made by a friend or loved one that you really love and you try to also make on your own or just appreciate when that family member makes it? Like, I didn't know if, like, I don't know, like, what do you love that your family makes?
[00:02:13] Speaker B: So my mom is a great cook. My grandmother's a great cook.
I try to be. I think I'm a better baker.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: I am a cook. But my mom makes a really great, like, it's an old southern chocolate buttermilk chocolate cake. And she makes my birthday every year. And I've never tried to recreate it. I'm not sure I could. But I'll tell you something that I always get really excited about and have since I was a little, little child when my mom would make chocolate gravy biscuits.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: Ah, yes, yes. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Now, can you, for our listeners who are like, chocolate gravy. What are you talking about? Can you describe it to our listeners?
[00:02:54] Speaker B: So she'll make some made from scratch, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and instead of putting, like, syrup on it, she makes a chocolate syrup. And it is. I've watched her do it and she's tried to teach me, but, you know, ah, I just, I turn into the little kid of like, my mom's making it for me. Yeah, absolutely. And. But it's, it's like Hershey's cocoa powder, butter, sugar, all delicious things. And you bring it to a bowl and then you turn it off, and then it gets thick and it's just pure sugary, buttery goodness. And then you put it over the homemade white flour biscuit. And it's all the things that we should not indulge in more than a couple of times a year, maybe moderately. But I grew up and I knew it was going to be a good Saturday morning when I woke up and my mom was making chocolate gravy biscuits.
[00:03:45] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Well, that, you know, begs the question. Are you a big fan of the salty sweet combination? Because, like, you know, I'm thinking about like, a nice buttery, potentially salty, like, homemade buttermilk biscuit. And then you've got that nice contrast of the sweet chocolate gravy.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: I have grown to be that way.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Yeah. That's the thing that I kind of started doing more in my 30s where I was like, this is salty. I need a little something sweet.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: I never understood that it was something that it came with age for me. How about you?
[00:04:14] Speaker A: I think I've always been a salty, sweet person. So, like, off the top of my head, I'm thinking about Peter Brook chocolatiers. Like chocolate covered popcorn.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Like, I do like stuff like that. And then I feel like if I'm snacking while watching a movie at home, it's this constant like, oh, I need something sweet, but I want something salty with it. Oh, now I need something sweet to contrast the salty. So I'm definitely a salty sweet kind of person.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: Kettle corn popcorn.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I. No, just, I had to ask you about that because I, you know, I've heard you say on multiple occasions that you have really good cooks in your family. And so I was thinking there's probably a lot of family dishes that you look forward to at Thanksgiving and Other family get togethers.
[00:04:54] Speaker B: Oh, yes, absolutely. I think that one's my favorite because it's child tied to my childhood.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:00] Speaker B: But I also love that you bring this up, because I think some of our listeners out there may not realize that, you know, I'm sitting amongst two dietitians today, and I have no qualms at all talking about white flour and sugar and butter because, you know, I don't feel like you're judging me, and I know you wouldn't judge me. Oh. So I love that, you know, that can be something that our listeners understand that everything in moderation. There's not. There's no forbidden foods out there.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: And that's the one thing I've learned from all my RD friends, is that, you know, y'all aren't judging me when we go eat lunch, and I don't have to pretend to be on my best behavior when we're eating lunch together that, you know, food is fuel, and there's room for everything at the table in moderation.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: Hey, I. I could not have said it better. And with that said, we're gonna take a break because that's a great segue into introducing our guests. But, y'all, we gotta take a quick break, grab some hydration, run to the restroom, do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the cap WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, in our opening segment, we were talking about the theme for National Nutrition Month, which is Food Connects Us. And so we don't normally let people know as early on as we did today what the topic would be for the show. But with that said, we're super excited to introduce our guest today. We have Ms. Raina Campbell, who is a registered dietitian with Bama Dining. And so, Raina, thank you for being on the show today.
[00:06:57] Speaker C: Thank you guys for having me.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: Yeah. So, you know, I think we were telling you before we started recording this segment that this, you know, this is a time that we learn all about you, so we would love for you to share your professional and academic background prior to joining us in Tuscaloosa.
[00:07:14] Speaker C: Sounds good. All right, Well, a little bit about me is I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, and. But I grew up in New York State, kind of near Syracuse, New York.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: And really grew up playing soccer. So I was an athlete, ran track in high school, and I went to Drexel University for college. I played soccer there. I also started off actually as a health science major.
[00:07:40] Speaker B: Okay, nice shout out.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. Nika's like, hello, my people.
[00:07:46] Speaker C: So going into college, my grand plan was I want to be a strength and conditioning coach. And my coaches, like, at Drexel also kind of like, built that, I guess, in me too as well. And I found out that health sciences was not the route to be a strength and conditioning coach. It was like kinesiology, exercise science. We did not have that at Drexel. So I went to my advisor, I said, hey, what's close to, like, that?
And she just kind of went through and she goes, this nutrition. And I was like, that sounds fantastic. So that is when I switched my major into nutrition. And as you can see, I never looked back.
But what got me, what, like, excited that for me, was being an athlete. And I always aim for optimum performance in anything I do. But as an athlete, I'm like, how do I feel myself to get the best performance on the field? And so that's why I was like, well, hey, it helps me. And then after, eventually I figured out, wow, I could do so much more for, like, my other teammates, the other athletes of the school, and just overall in general.
So that's kind of like what got me, like, a registered dietitian. And truthfully, I didn't know what a registered dietitian was when I signed up for nutrition.
And originally we were told that, like, everyone goes to the hospital setting and it's super hard to go into other routes. Like sports dietetics is, like, nearly impossible. And I was like, come on, that can't be real.
So, yeah, that's kind of, I guess, how I got into nutrition.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. No, I love that. And you know, and especially anytime talks about kind of like the non traditional route of, like, how they got interested in something versus it's like, oh, I popped out of the womb and knew I wanted to be a dietitian. I love your transparency with being like, I low key didn't know what a dietitian was until I became a nutrition major. And honestly, I think I had probably similar sentiments as well. It's like I kind of knew, but I didn't know, like, what it was exactly. So I appreciate you sharing that. And, you know, I think before we started recording the show today, Raina, I was asking you, like, oh, when did you start your role in Bama dining and you're like, last month. So prior to being here at ua, have you had any other professional roles as a dietitian or are you kind of straight coming out of. Out of your graduate program?
[00:10:05] Speaker C: I'm straight out of my graduate program. I graduated in December of last year.
[00:10:09] Speaker A: Congratulations.
[00:10:10] Speaker C: Thank you. I went to VCU Health for my internship, which loved it, and I did a rot. One of my rotations I did was at the University of Richmond, and that's where I got that first experience of what already does in a college setting. Not sports already.
[00:10:28] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: So that was my first intro of, like, wow. This is. I'm like, okay. So I could be in a campus, kind of go through that route instead of just trying to go straight sports. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: Okay. Very nice.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: I like it a lot. Yeah. I'm just taking it all in.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: So, you know, I. And I. Reyna, as another dietitian on the show today, I'm gonna let you take the reins on this. So what do you typically tell people when they're like, what is a registered dietitian?
[00:10:56] Speaker C: So I start off with telling them, I like to say we're nutrition experts, so we're always learning every day as well. But kind of, I guess the more like, academic line of, like, what's us versus, like, a nutritionist or like, an influence, I guess, is we have. Well, now we have to have a master's degree. That was changed in 2024. And then you have to have at least a thousand hours of supervised practice. So like an internship where you have a RD as your preceptor, and then you also have to pass your RD exam. That's. And then get credentialed.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: Yes. No, I. I think you lay that out beautifully because I, you know, anytime somebody kind of asks like, oh, what is that? Like, into. This is the same as a nurse getting accepted into nursing school and doing all of those practicum ro. Same thing for medical school. And so for us as registered dietitians, just for consumer protection, this lets you know that this is a licensed healthcare professional clinician versus, say, somebody at your local, you know, like, organic food store being like, oh, I'm a nutritionist or whatever else. And what's interesting, I will just put this out here in particular, because we're recording in the state of Alabama, there are certain states, including the state of Alabama, where the. The title nutritionist is also protected by nutrition licensure. So only those who are an actual registered dietitian nutritionist can call themselves nutritionists. In the state of Alabama, that's not the same in every single state. But that's just me putting in my like, fun little tidbit right there.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Oh, I love it. And someone. I had a minor in nutrition, which is nowhere near what you guys are doing, but I got a taste of. We know, like you said, this is a healthcare provider, so I know the answer to this, but I want to hear you guys say it for our listeners out there that say, okay. I mean, really though, do I have to have somebody who's registered and licensed? I mean, you said it was more the academic. I mean, really, like, what, what is the harm I could get in not going with someone that's an rd? Would you explain that to the regular person who didn't know why it is so important to go with someone who's had the thousand hours the master's degree set for the exam? What, what's the danger of not going that route with your professional?
[00:13:30] Speaker C: So our big thing is we're evidence based. So by having our credential that says that we're actually looking at science. And one thing that happens.
[00:13:38] Speaker B: So you're not just looking at TikTok trends.
[00:13:40] Speaker C: We're not just looking at TikTok trends.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:47] Speaker B: But I like that you know what to look for.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:13:52] Speaker B: So you know what's false and what's real because you've had the training.
[00:13:55] Speaker C: Yes. And another big thing is we learn the, like, metabolic processes and stuff like that.
[00:14:02] Speaker B: So the chemistry.
[00:14:03] Speaker C: Yes, so we have the chemistry, the food science, very multifaceted. So we know the background of what we're reading as well.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: So you know the body. Like a medical professional.
[00:14:12] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:13] Speaker B: Huh. Do you. Can y'all say on the radio that I'm kind of doing this tongue in cheek, like, I, I, you know, no, hate to the influencers out there, but this is, you know, I from somebody that, I mean, I have no dog in this race because I'm not trying to, you know, defend a. This is not my job, you know, so. But as someone who just dipped their toe in the water as a miner, to know how vast and how scientific and how much food can heal and kill, I mean, it's medicine and it goes on with the metabolic processes. I mean, you know, it's. There's so much to it. And so I think just me being like, hey, I didn't want everyone to understand what the little bit I learned in college is that you don't need to just listen to anyone. You need to listen to those that have the RD behind them.
[00:15:09] Speaker A: Thank you for being an Ally to dietitian.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: I am very much so. Well, very much so.
[00:15:14] Speaker A: But that's.
[00:15:15] Speaker B: I mean, that is prevention.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:17] Speaker B: Preventive. Heal, too, because you can't get yourself, like I said, a little bit. I know you can get yourself in a quag if you take the wrong advice when it comes to supplements and foods and vitamins and.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Absolutely. You know, and so much of that is unregulated out there. And so I think, you know, one of the big things that I will often tell friends and family and colleagues is that, you know, if you are seeing a registered dietitian and say that you have some type of chronic medical condition or a significant family history for a particular disease, you're. You're going to be able to go to your physician and ask them to fax over those labs to your dietitian, and they're going to have no issue with doing that because they know that they're selling. Sending that. That. That lab work to a fellow clinician who's going to be able to interpret that lab work appropriately versus, like, oh, well, you. You know, I'm gonna show my labs to this person that's, you know, in this pyramid scheme that's selling whatever supplement. Like, I could get on a soapbox about that. And I. And I won't do that for our.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: Listeners because, you know, we are in the academic world, and we talk about this stuff, you know, in class or we hear about in class, but the world at large is confused. They don't know what to weed through. And so that's why I wanted to kind of go off into and just ask, because when people hear like, oh, okay, so they're going to tell me what to eat. No, no.
It gets so much more deeper than that.
[00:16:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. Rayna and I are looking at each other and we're, like, shaking our head like, no, no, no, no, no. But I think this is a good time for a break because. And when we get back, Raina, I do want to ask you, even though you've only been here a little over a month, we want to ask what you have enjoyed so far.
But with that said, you guys, we're taking a quick break. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the Capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied on 90.7, the capstone with Sheena and Nika. And today we are joined by the. The awesome Raina Campbell, who is a registered dietitian with Bama Dining.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: That's right. And before the break, you know, I had mentioned that we wanted to ask Raina what you've enjoyed most so far about your time being here at ua. I do want to point out that the role that you have with Bama dining is actually a new role, so we're very excited about that. So what have you enjoyed about being with us in Tuscaloosa so far? And if you say the verdict is still out, I. I fully understand that too.
[00:18:00] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:18:01] Speaker C: So I guess I'll kind of explain my rule because like Sheena said, it's new, so break it up as we go.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:18:09] Speaker C: But kind of my, like, main. Main thing is we have two allergen rooms in our dining halls, and I'm.
I'm kind of managing those. So keeping a stock, making sure everything is in date.
I don't know, just anything to do with that room. Eventually, I kind of want to get into stuff like seeing with the students who are part of that room, like what they're actually liking, what they're not liking. They get a better idea of what to keep in stock as well. So we don't have wastage and burn on spending tons of money on stuff we're not using.
And then also in the dining hall itself, I do a lot of kind of cross checking, making sure menu boards match with what the food's being served, our portion sizes are appropriate, and that, like, what it says is what's actually being prepared and cooked. So very important, because a lot of students nowadays like to either pre plan what they're going to get at the dining hall, they like to see where they are, they want to know their calories, for example, just making sure that's all squared away. And then also the kind of. The fun stuff is I get to do a lot of, like, health and wellness promotions as well within the dining hall. And I've learned I get to partner up with a lot of other. The other dietitians on campus or just other kind of groups on campus, which is really cool. I think that's, so far, my favorite kind of getting out there.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, you mentioned earlier the fact that we have allergy rooms available for students. And so if you're not familiar with that, that is a space where, you know, we're making sure that there's no cross contamination of the major allergens. And so we're making those accommodations for so many of our students that are now identifying with various types of food allergies. And one of the things that I've actually lear in my 15 years here at the capstone is that a lot of families will end up eventually choosing the university based on how well their student can be accommodated, because there are so many students that are going off to college, and maybe family members were the ones that were primarily managing the food for the student and making sure things were allergen friendly or allergen free. So the fact that families are choosing universities based on who is the most diligent with that was really fascinating to me. It is fascinating now, Raina, you know, as we think about it being National Nutrition Month and there just being a lot of nutrition information out there, why do you think that eating healthy can feel so complicated for consumers or the public these days?
[00:20:44] Speaker C: I think there's just so much information on social media, whether it's a diet to follow or like. I think the biggest thing I've seen is like, eating based on your cycle, which probably has some error to it, but it's just interesting things. I feel like that over complicates eating because now you have to think about where in your cycle you are, what to eat, what is it doing. There's just too much information, I think. And also, people are just always trying to do different things or trying to change something, and one minute one thing's healthy, and that same exact food all of a sudden turns unhealthy. So nobody knows what to do. So I think that's why it's very complicated.
[00:21:21] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:21:22] Speaker B: And I think everybody's always trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So you're finding that secret that no one has found before. So if you can just avoid these five foods, you too can lose £100 by tomorrow morning. You know, like that kind of stuff.
[00:21:37] Speaker A: Oh, yes, I remember, I think my Nutrition 101 instructor from several, several years ago, I think I remember her saying, you know, the only way that you could, like, foolproof, lose like 30 pound in 30 days is if you amputated one of your legs off. Like, you know, she would say things like that. And I was like, that's actually really interesting. Like, I, you know, I appreciated her humor with that. And, you know, I think that also with all of that information out there, there are different interpretations of quote unquote, healthy eating. So, you know, Raina, for you, as a registered dietitian, what kind of misconceptions do you think people have about just, just the using the terminology healthy eating or what that looks like for someone?
[00:22:21] Speaker C: I think to people that means clean Eating, which also has different definitions based on the person, but kind of that typical, like white rice, plain chicken breast and some broccoli.
[00:22:35] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:36] Speaker C: There's no flavor. There's no, you can't have anything with fat like in it. There's. That's like what people optimize.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Is that the whole thing that I'm saying where everybody's like putting like the collagen and the peptide and everything in their drink and then making sure everything's organic and blanched and nothing in it, no sugar, no additives, and then you get down and you're like, so I'm having air for dinner.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about.
[00:23:04] Speaker B: Is that kind of, what is this, what you're talking about for those listeners out there? Is that the, that's kind of the.
[00:23:09] Speaker C: Idea you can't have any flavor in there or it can't have any sort of fat that, like carbs are the end. Yeah, carbs are terrible. That's kind of the idea.
[00:23:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:21] Speaker B: So what would clean healthy eating based on the science really kind of look like for a person?
Is that different for everybody?
[00:23:30] Speaker A: Well, yes, I. So I think. Yes. So you actually bring up a really good point with that very last statement of. It does look different for everybody. I think in general though, like, if you're using population based tools like choosemyplate.gov and things of that nature, what you're going to see is encouragement of people eating from all of the different food groups, because all of the different food groups are going to be representing different micronutrients that you may not be able to get from a different food group. So when you're looking at what would be a red flag for the different diets that are out there, I feel like the ones that are basically telling you to either completely eliminate an entire food group or completely eliminate an entire macronutrient group. So your macronutrients are carbs, proteins and fats. So the ones that are like, oh, don't eat any carbs at all, or you know, don't eat any fat, you know, we, we definitely see those as the problematic things.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Yeah. So we've moved away from understanding that a diet of Mountain Dew and Pop Tarts and Skittles all day every day is unhealthy eating. We get that. But now, like Raina has said, it's getting to the point where it's like, oh, well, that has fat in it. That's unhealthy eating. And it's not necessarily true. So how do you, when you're in the dining halls and students come up to you and they're like, I'm trying to eat healthy and cle.
Nothing here for me when there is. How do you help that paradigm shift with them to change the way they think and to be able to see like this right here is perfectly okay.
[00:25:05] Speaker C: I think one big thing is kind of how Sheena talked about kind of like the plate method where a quarter year plate is going to be a starch. Whole grain is preferable, but white is perfectly fine. So if you want a white rice instead of, of a, like a whole.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: Grain, you can have a potato.
[00:25:22] Speaker C: You could have a potato and you want about half your plate. Veggies, so non starchy veggies. So anything leafy green.
Broccoli, beets, asparagus. Yep.
And then a quarter would be a lean protein would be the ideal. But I say that, but that doesn't mean. If there's ribs for dinner. Dinner. And you want ribs for dinner, please go have the ribs. They're fantastic.
[00:25:48] Speaker B: Right.
[00:25:49] Speaker C: They make you feel good, they taste good and they still have nutritional value still against the protein in. Yeah, your body needs fat, so there's a little extra fat there and that's okay.
But I think another thing, like if you want to add that little extra layer that's not too complicated is if you think about like how the food's cooked. So if chicken is baked, that's a better option than fried, right?
[00:26:11] Speaker B: Right.
[00:26:11] Speaker C: So that's one way where. Because the dining hall always has a fried option, they always have a baked option.
I think majority they have a fish, but they have at least a vegetarian option. But I would say thinking about cooking methods versus the food itself.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: Okay, so maybe making my mom's chocolate and biscuits and gravy without whole milk and skin milk. Maybe, maybe cut a quarter that way. Yeah, okay, I get what you're saying. So I mean, I love this because, you know, as somebody that is pretty much still a regular person that doesn't know everything that you guys know, but I know a little bit because of being in my role, I can fall back very easily myself to a, oh, this isn't good for me. I should put this back. I shouldn't do this. And then I have to stop my thinking and go, was it because it's full of artificial dyes or is it because it's. It's 20 more calories more than this low fat version?
[00:27:10] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, well, and I know we have to go to a break soon, but, you know, I think one Benefit or additional benefit of working one on one with a dietitian is they're going to be able to like help you kind of navigate through all of that information that's out there. Because there's a lot that's out there where depending on what somebody's current relationship with food is and if they have a past history of disordered eating, a lot of this information can feel very triggering to them where they go to, to the extreme. And so I think that's where sometimes I have an issue with things on social media because it almost feels like this like fear mongering of like certain types of information and like demonizing food where at the end of the day like everything in moderation. You know, I think that it's unfair to kind of use different like scare tactics to get people to kind of believe within the same nutrition stance as you. So that can be tough. But if you're working with someone one on one and they get to know your personal health history, your relate your current relationship with food, they're going to know how to frame that nutrition information and that quote unquote nutrition prescription in a way that is going to be helpful to you.
[00:28:16] Speaker B: You know, I love that because people are like, well, what am I supposed to expect when I go see a dietitian? And you just kind of explained it right there. I mean, it is a tailor made experience.
[00:28:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. So before we continue kind of geeking out about all of the things, we got to take another quick break, you guys. We're having a great conversation with Raina. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nikon 90.7 the capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: Welcome back listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, we have the wonderful Raina Campbell who is the new registered dietitian in Bama dining with our Bama Dining services on campus at the University of Alabama. And before the break, we were talking a lot about misconceptions related to the term healthy eating. What does that look like for someone? And so Raina, kind of just like bringing us back in, what do you think are some practical ways someone can start on the road to eating healthier? So if they're tired of following all the different diets that are out there and they just are like, what do I do? They're so used to following this prescriptive plan of whatever kind of trend is out There what would just be some practical starting points for someone.
[00:29:42] Speaker C: Uh huh. So kind of like I mentioned earlier, I would say plate the plate method just for kind of portioning sizes and getting an idea of what each food group looks like. But the other thing I think is really big is just starting small. Make one change at a time. Because like anything else, if you make lots of changes at once, it seems very overwhelming and then it doesn't last very long. So just start with maybe adding another vegetable to your plate or maybe trying a new vegetable if you are in the same type of vegetable, like of the same vegetables or I don't know, try a new starch. There might be farro. You've never heard of farro before? What on earth is it? Try it, see if you like it. And also don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid. If you don't like farro, that's okay. If you prefer your white rice, that's fine. Eat it, enjoy it.
So I think those are like, that's like a good starting point.
[00:30:30] Speaker B: So you're saying don't go home and throw out every, every snack food that I have. I love those memes where it's like healthy grocery shopping me is different than I need a snack at bedtime me, and now I need a snack at bedtime me is angry at healthy grocery shopping me.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. No, and I feel like that, I mean, that's kind of a good segue into our next question because like, you know, when you think about who you are when you're perusing the grocery store aisle, that could be a completely different personality from who you are at home. And when you're, you're hangry at whatever time of day. So you know, thinking about tips for navigating the grocery store. What do you like to tell people, Raina, when it comes to just, you know, feeling equipped and prepared for any grocery shopping experience?
[00:31:15] Speaker C: So the first thing is if you're not an avid grocery shopper, definitely make a list. For some people, meal planning and meal prepping is really good for them and that helps them make their list. Other people could just go to the grocery store and kind of pick things up and make a meal as they go. So definitely make a list that helps you get a starting point at least. I know sometimes I get inspired by what I see in the grocery store. So I might have a list and I might see this is on sale.
I'm gonna add it to something later. So don't be afraid to add things on your list that aren't on your list either. If you're walking through the snack aisle and you're like, oh, that snack sounds really good. Don't be afraid to pick it up.
[00:31:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:56] Speaker C: I think that's the thing when we restrict is really when things become, like, build up, and then that's when we end up in, like, a binge cycle that we are trying to avoid.
[00:32:04] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: Yeah. Now, na. Have you ever gone grocery shopping while hangry?
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Oh, I've made that mistake before. What.
[00:32:12] Speaker A: What are your impulses at home?
[00:32:15] Speaker B: And I'm like, why would I even have wanted this? Yeah, yeah.
Raisinets. I mean, I know they're raisins and they're chocolate, but normally I don't ever crave Raisinets unless I'm in the grocery store and I'm hangry and I see them and I'm like, I must have them and then come home with me. Now, it's weird how your brain will tell you things that you don't normally think about when you're hungry and in the grocery store, you know?
[00:32:44] Speaker A: And I think as much as we like to say, like, oh, I don't have any willpower, I like to tell my. Or at least I've told my clients. I'm like, I think that shows just how resilient our bodies are at survival. Because if they know it's been more than a hot minute since you've last eaten, and it's like, okay, blood sugar's going down low. We're about to tap out of our glycogen stores in our muscles and liver. We need some glucose. Your body is going to make you think of something that's pretty high octane to get those. Yeah.
[00:33:14] Speaker B: Blood sugar levels back up. I'm not gonna lie. I don't look at the steamed carrots the same way.
[00:33:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. Cause our body inherently knows, like, oh, carrots. Not the best source of glucose.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: But if I go and I'm not hungry, I will look at the carrots and be like, that will be a nice addition to XYZ dinner.
[00:33:31] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:33:32] Speaker B: So I do make better decisions when I'm my blood sugar's level.
[00:33:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:37] Speaker B: Don't we all?
[00:33:38] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:33:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:39] Speaker A: Like, I think we're so much kinder when we have better blood sugar levels right now, Rayna, you know you were talking earlier kind of about. About that connection with, like, the interest in sports nutrition, performance nutrition. So kind of along that vein, what kinds of things should be considered in the diet for those that engage in consistent physical activity? Like what you know, what you know, Is there something that we need to think about differently if we are a pretty active person?
[00:34:08] Speaker C: Yes. So, first of all, I think it's important to know your body is using more energy. So regardless, regardless of the way you slice, dice, cut it, you're gonna need to eat more food.
Even if you're just going for a walk, you are expending more than you would if you're just sitting all day or maybe just going to class all day. So don't be afraid if you feel, wow, I'm way hungrier. I need to eat more.
And this kind of like in a general sense is, especially if you're weight training, you want to increase your protein stores to help you build back that muscle. But along with with it, we need more carbohydrates because in order for our body to actually use that protein, we need the carbohydrates to help us.
[00:34:48] Speaker B: Wait, are you saying there's a science.
[00:34:50] Speaker A: Behind a little bit?
[00:34:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
So I can't just eat boiled eggs and tuna until I can't put another piece of protein in my mouth. Is there like a formula I need to follow if I'm trying to add?
Is there?
[00:35:11] Speaker A: There is.
[00:35:13] Speaker C: There's a 3 to 1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein. That is why chocolate milk is very good post recovery. There's fun science behind that.
And I will say that is one of my favorite nutrition facts that you do need carbs with your protein after workout.
[00:35:29] Speaker A: Well, so one of my most favorite sports dietitians, Marie Sarah, she is actually the registered dietitian for the Atlanta Braves, or at least the last time I was in her presence, that was her role. And so one of the analogies that she's often used on her social media and with her athletes is when you're thinking about building lean muscle and you're thinking about carbs and protein, think about it like a construction site when you're building a house where carbohydrates are your construction workers and protein is your raw material. So if you have someone, someone who's mostly thinking about just protein and they're not eating enough carbs, that's like having a ton of raw material at the job site, but nobody, no construction workers to do anything productive with it. Same thing goes if you're primarily focusing on carbohydrates, but then no protein, you've got all these construction workers at the job site, but there's no raw material for them to build with. And y'all that has stuck in my Head like nobody's business. I love sharing that with our college students because it's so visceral and tangible. So, you know, and smart people borrow from other smart people. So that's where I am, like sharing the wealth and giving credit to Marie for that. But, you know, I think just within the vein rain of like knowing what your professional interests are. I knew we wanted to talk about that to some degree. So.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: Yeah, so there are special considerations is what I'm, I'm hearing. Even if you're not like, like you, you were a college athlete, so you're, you're, of course, everybody is, you know, individualized. But like you said, if you're just going for a walk, you're still being athletic. So for that moment, you're an athlete. Right?
[00:37:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: As Nikki says, if you're a body, you're an athlete.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:37:16] Speaker B: I love it.
[00:37:17] Speaker A: I like it. Any other tips for our listeners? Reina?
[00:37:21] Speaker C: I kind of want to. So I'm a little bit of a supplement nerd.
[00:37:26] Speaker A: I love that.
[00:37:28] Speaker C: Probably from my sports self. But I think one interesting about thing about supplements, especially when working with an rd, which is the benefit of an RD versus a nutritionist, is that since it's an unregulated space, the FDA does not regulate. There are different. There's like NSF and Informed Sport Choice that are. There are third parties that will check your. That check all the batches of the supplement. So you know that what's in the ingredient list is what's in it.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: So I've heard this before.
[00:38:01] Speaker B: Tell me if I'm right. If I decided today that I wanted to create a supplement and I said there's a lot of calcium in it, but I only like to sprinkle it a little bit and instead put a bunch of baking soda in it and sold it.
Can I do that? Is there anybody watching me?
[00:38:18] Speaker A: I mean, so, so it's unregulated by the fda. So in that sense, yes. But so for a lot of companies to gain credibility with consumers, they are opting in to get third party checked and verified so that they.
[00:38:35] Speaker B: So how do I. When I walk up to the aisle at Target and I'm looking at all the different supplements, how do I know which one to trust when I'm I looking for?
[00:38:45] Speaker C: So there's a little, I think it's green for informed sport and orange potentially.
[00:38:53] Speaker A: For just regular inform. Yeah. And so it'll say like USP verified or like it. You'll see like a little themselves. Yeah, they'll they're gonna put it out there because they paid big money to get that testing done because they know that informed people such as yourself are going to do that. And now, unfortunately, they're are going to be a lot of folks that aren't going to know to check that. And a lot of companies are banking on the fact that people are shopping uninformed but, you know, to gain.
[00:39:20] Speaker B: They could be buying my baking soda low calcium supplement because my packaging's pretty.
[00:39:26] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:27] Speaker B: And.
[00:39:27] Speaker C: And you have influencer advertising on TikTok.
[00:39:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:39:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:32] Speaker B: So we're looking for like the third party, like you see.
[00:39:37] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:39:37] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:39:37] Speaker C: The third party is very important.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: Yes. No, thank you for bringing that up. That's like a huge piece to this conversation. Anything else you want to share?
[00:39:46] Speaker B: So supplements. So be careful what we're buying them.
[00:39:48] Speaker C: Be careful you're buying. Also when working the dietitian, you could also figure out what you need and what you don't need.
[00:39:54] Speaker B: So when you say supplements, that means like vitamins. Talk about like, yeah, collagen and creatin and all the stuff that you see.
[00:40:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:40:02] Speaker B: Like in the fitness realm, I guess, diet.
[00:40:05] Speaker C: So it's that and vitamins as well, because same thing kind of goes with vitamins where it might not have enough or you're not taking a dosage that's either adequate or you, you have adequate stores, so you're just taking it.
[00:40:17] Speaker B: So can I ask a quick question that I am seeing a lot of, is that there's all this stuff online about, well, you're so tired and you're so depressed because you're low in vitamin D. And we know vitamin D is made from the same, but you can also. It's also ingested. And then now I'm starting to see a lot of people that are going to the stores and just buying vitamin D off the shelf. Is there a danger in that?
[00:40:44] Speaker A: I think with any supplement or any micronutrient, that can be an issue because. And so it's going to be important to get actual lab work to know what your levels are versus getting worried from something you saw on social media or something that you're analyzing aunt told you at the last potluck, and then you buy something impulsively. So I think again, it goes back to working with your personal healthcare team where you can really know, like, what are your personal levels? Because I think if you're going on anecdotal things of like, oh, this is how I'm feeling. Like, obviously those are symptoms we want to share with our Physician. But at the end of the day, you want to get that actual flower.
[00:41:26] Speaker B: My vitamin D. It could be something else.
[00:41:28] Speaker A: Yeah. It could be seasonal. Yeah. Iron. It could be. Yeah. A completely different.
[00:41:33] Speaker B: So if I took a vitamin or something that I didn't need so much of, would that harm?
[00:41:41] Speaker C: So could it. It could especially, like fat soluble. Since those are stored in your body, they're not getting excreted like a vitamin C. You'll just pee out.
[00:41:50] Speaker B: Right, but D is a fat fat.
[00:41:52] Speaker C: Right, but yep. So D is fat soluble. So it could cause harm. Especially things like iron that could wreak lots of. Of havoc.
[00:41:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:41:59] Speaker B: See? So say the more, you know, listeners, the more you know.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: Well, you know, and we've had such good conversation. You know, we've got to close out this segment. But, Raina, we hope that you will stick with us for our very last closing segment. Okay, you guys are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:42:31] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. Thanks for joining us on Fit to be tied with Sheena and NA on 90.7 the capstone. And we are wrapping up an amazing show today. If you have not listened thus far, please go back and listen as we have Raina Campbell, who is a registered dietitian with the University of Alabama's Bama dining. And she is just dropping. She and Sheena both are just dropping some, you know, knowledge on us today that you would pay a high price for in a lecture hall or 101 or even like, I mean, a TED talk. You're so kind, but it's so true.
[00:43:09] Speaker A: You are so kind. Well, I, I will not disagree with you that Reyna has been a fabulous guest today. And, you know, in this last segment, you know, depending on how the show is going, we either continue our main conversation or we just kind of go a little craz. Have a mystery question for our guest. I think bringing it back to our beginning segment. Na, Raina, now I would like to ask you, when we think about this theme of food connects us for national nutrition month, are there any family favorite dishes that you have that you can think of? You know, whether it's been like an actual family member that's made it or something that like a close friend, you're like, oh, my gosh. Like every single time so and so makes xyz, it slaps like, this is awesome. Like, what? What is that? What does that look like? You.
[00:43:58] Speaker C: So my mom makes a corn pie, which it's cornmeal with ground like mince, minced beef in it. And she puts like olives, capers.
Yeah, that's about it, I think. But she always does it for Thanksgiving and I always beg for it for Christmas as well, cuz it's so good. But that is definitely my like favorite thing she does. I have tried to recreate it, but nothing you recreate ever tastes like your parents, like ever.
[00:44:25] Speaker B: So.
[00:44:26] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:44:26] Speaker B: It's just a sacred ingredient of love in.
[00:44:28] Speaker C: There has to be.
[00:44:29] Speaker B: I just don't give myself when I, you know.
[00:44:31] Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, when you talk about what's in that with the olives and the capers, like, I imagine that being a very savory dish. But then it sounds like probably the corn like sweetens it up to, to an extent, maybe kind of.
[00:44:43] Speaker C: So there's no actual corn, Just a corn meal.
[00:44:45] Speaker A: Okay, sure.
[00:44:46] Speaker C: So it is more savory. And the nice part is like, you don't really taste the olives. I'm not an olive fan.
[00:44:50] Speaker A: Uhhuh.
[00:44:50] Speaker C: But in that it's fine.
[00:44:52] Speaker A: Okay, let's go for it.
[00:44:53] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, Sheena, I know with your Filipino heritage.
[00:44:57] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:44:57] Speaker B: Is there a special dish that your family makes that you're like, I gotta have this. I gotta have my mama make it.
[00:45:04] Speaker A: You know, I. So there is a dish that I make pretty frequently at home for my, my husband and our two kids. It's called chicken adobo. And essentially the chicken is braised in this mix of what would be garlic and bay leaf and vinegar and soy sauce. And you can, you can change the protein in it. So there's some variat where it has pork. But I remember my grandmother making it. Growing up, anytime, anytime my kids would go to my parents house, my mom is always making it for my kids. And then I was like, I should make this at home too. So. So I do make that a lot and it is very, very nostalgic. So I do like that. And you know, I think that when I was younger because being Filipino made me so different from my classmates at the time. Growing up in a, in small town Alabama, I kind of rejected a lot of those in the past because it was making me different from my classmates. And so I wasn't as hands on with like learning recipes when my grandma was still alive and living with us and making those things. And same thing with my mom. And so I hate that now I'm like trying to make up for lost time because I don't want my kids to not know what that heritage is. So I was just, you know, I thought I knew better back then, but now I don't.
[00:46:25] Speaker B: I love that you said you're from originally from Trinidad, Right? I love how you're talking about minced beef and olives and capers and then the Filipinos braised chicken. And then I'm like, well, you know us southern people, my mama uses white flour and white sugar.
[00:46:43] Speaker A: You know, girl, don't you discount that. We are not disrespecting southern food to any.
[00:46:50] Speaker B: Southerners have the highest rates of obesity. I mean, let's be honest. Let's. We, you know, for breakfast, that's what we're eating. And, you know, I. I'm sure that's not all my mama cooks, you know, But I'm just saying, like, that was always a favorite treat. But that's not different than cereal, really. It's the same amount of sugar.
[00:47:05] Speaker A: Hey, you know, all I know is that it sounds like the foods that we've been talking about today have all been made with love and memory.
Yes. And so, with that said, we will end today's show. I want to thank our guest Raina, for being with us today. And, Na, as always, couldn't do this without you, my friend.
[00:47:24] Speaker B: I'm just thankful to be here, Sheena. Well, you are the leader of. Of the pack. You are our leader. You know, you're our fearless leader, and I'm just happy to be along for the ride.
[00:47:33] Speaker A: I don't know about that, but I'm just grateful for you. And with that, y'all roll tide, and we will see you next time. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
