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May 23, 2024

How Absolutely Anyone Can Eat Well During Midlife with Heather Carey

How Absolutely Anyone Can Eat Well During Midlife with Heather Carey

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Are you ready to reclaim your vitality and embrace nourishment tailored to your midlife journey? Join us as we speak with Heather Carey, culinary nutritionist, to unveil the secrets to mindful, satisfying eating that supports both body and mind—no diets, only balance and joy.

Are you tired of feeling confused about what to eat for optimal health during midlife?

Many women struggle with weight gain, hormonal changes, and lack of clarity around nutrition as they approach menopause. The diet industry preys on these insecurities, promoting unrealistic and unsustainable eating plans.

Heather, a culinary nutritionist, offers a refreshing solution - mindful, balanced eating focused on whole, nourishing foods that taste delicious. No more diets or deprivation!

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

  • How to build a well-stocked pantry for easy, healthy meal prep
  • The simple "plate method" for balanced, satisfying meals
  • Why cooking can be a therapeutic, mindfulness practice
  • An essential habit for weight loss that most people underestimate


 CONNECT WITH HEATHER CAREY


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LEARN MORE:

Empowerment Hour:What you need to know about weight loss medications
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Chapters

00:00 - Nutritional Healing for Midlife Women

05:23 - Nutrition Myths and Healthy Eating

12:16 - Cooking and Nutrition for Longevity

15:40 - Empowerment Through Healthy Eating Tips

20:20 - Cooking for Nourishment and Joy

27:16 - Empowering Cooking for Health

Transcript
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00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:04.932
Food as a healing modality is my philosophy.

00:00:04.932 --> 00:00:07.248
Food is healing, food is medicine.

00:00:07.248 --> 00:00:11.727
So that's why, when I look at my plate of food, I'm like, oh, this makes me feel good.

00:00:11.727 --> 00:00:17.405
You know, I know that this is like the healthiest I can be eating and it makes me feel really good and comforted.

00:00:18.361 --> 00:00:30.908
Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics, part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, a must-have resource for pharmacist entrepreneurs seeking to enhance patient care while enjoying career and life.

00:00:30.908 --> 00:00:38.988
Join us as we pivot into Nutrigenomics, using pharmacy and nutrition for true patient-focused care.

00:00:38.988 --> 00:00:44.968
Explore how to improve chronic conditions rather than just manage them.

00:00:44.968 --> 00:00:48.831
Celebrate entrepreneurial triumphs and receive priceless advice.

00:00:48.831 --> 00:00:52.930
Align your values with a career that profoundly impacts patients.

00:00:52.930 --> 00:00:57.911
Together, we'll raise the script on health and pivot into a brighter future.

00:00:57.911 --> 00:01:02.170
Hello and welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics.

00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:06.591
I'm Dr Tamar, lawful Doctor of Pharmacy and Certified Nutritional Genomics Specialist.

00:01:06.591 --> 00:01:16.691
If you're anything like me, navigating nutrition as you approach midlife can feel like trying to find your way through a maze with no exit in sight.

00:01:16.691 --> 00:01:23.608
Weight gain, hormonal fluctuations and a sheer overload of dietary advice can leave you more baffled than enlightened.

00:01:23.608 --> 00:01:27.325
So that's why I'm thrilled to introduce our guest today, heather Carey.

00:01:27.325 --> 00:01:36.263
She's a culinary nutritionist who's cutting through the noise with a strategy that's all about mindful, balanced eating and saying goodbye to diets and deprivation.

00:01:36.825 --> 00:01:39.754
Heather's approach isn't just about what you put on your plate.

00:01:39.754 --> 00:01:44.027
It's about rewriting the narrative around nutrition during midlife.

00:01:44.027 --> 00:01:52.447
So if you're tired of the endless cycle of dieting and ready to embrace a more nourishing way of eating that supports your body through menopause and beyond.

00:01:52.447 --> 00:01:53.790
You're in the right place.

00:01:53.790 --> 00:01:56.522
Listen in, heather.

00:01:56.522 --> 00:01:59.870
Thank you for joining us on Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics today.

00:01:59.870 --> 00:02:05.992
I'm looking forward to gaining some insight from you about nutrition and healthy cooking.

00:02:05.992 --> 00:02:11.712
So many of us, we are so busy and on the go that sometimes we just don't make the time.

00:02:11.712 --> 00:02:15.069
The time is there, but we're just not making it because it can be difficult.

00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:18.931
We may not know how to fit that time in to actually make our meals.

00:02:18.931 --> 00:02:21.889
So I am looking forward to having that conversation with you, heather.

00:02:22.401 --> 00:02:23.907
Thank you very much for having me on.

00:02:23.907 --> 00:02:28.193
I'm always happy to talk about healthy cooking and how to fit it in.

00:02:28.193 --> 00:02:36.331
I know that we're all so incredibly busy and it seems sometimes like cooking and healthy eating just fall down low on the list.

00:02:36.913 --> 00:02:38.302
Yes, they do indeed.

00:02:38.302 --> 00:02:43.401
So could you kick us off by telling us a little bit about you and what led you to where you are today?

00:02:43.762 --> 00:02:52.735
Sure, I am a culinary nutritionist, which basically means I am a nutritionist and a chef, a cooking instructor.

00:02:52.735 --> 00:03:00.948
I have a master's degree in clinical nutrition and I also went to cooking school for health support of cooking so falls under this culinary nutrition.

00:03:00.948 --> 00:03:13.764
I really believe that food is at the heart of our health and then, more importantly, how to put all of that information about healthy food and healthy eating into practice into our own kitchens.

00:03:13.764 --> 00:03:23.073
So I really strongly believe that if you don't know how to cook a healthy meal, it's really hard to eat healthy on a consistent basis.

00:03:23.073 --> 00:03:24.817
So that's a lot of what I do.

00:03:24.817 --> 00:03:31.270
I do half nutrition coaching and I also teach people how to cook through cooking lessons.

00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:36.804
I have a teaching kitchen and I do a lot of online classes or in-person classes.

00:03:36.804 --> 00:03:39.973
So that's really pretty much what I do in a nutshell.

00:03:40.275 --> 00:03:44.596
Okay, so your practice has a unique focus on helping women love their midlife.

00:03:44.596 --> 00:03:55.169
What inspired you to actually niche down to this specific demographic and do you have any maybe the most surprising insight you've gained from working with midlife women that you could share with us?

00:03:55.745 --> 00:03:56.612
Well, number one.

00:03:56.612 --> 00:04:20.896
I am a woman in midlife, so I think I was just naturally, as my practice has bloomed and everything that the older I've gotten, the more I really want to be focusing on this area women in midlife and the menopause transition because I think there is so much confusion around food in general, what diets to be on, should we be on a diet, just what to eat in general.

00:04:20.896 --> 00:04:27.675
But in midlife we get extra confused because women are really in a vulnerable spot right now.

00:04:27.675 --> 00:04:31.005
They're going through a lot of hormonal changes.

00:04:31.005 --> 00:04:34.673
We're gaining mystery weight, don't know why.

00:04:35.214 --> 00:04:40.994
How we were eating has always been what we could get away with, and now we can't really get away with a lot.

00:04:40.994 --> 00:04:47.918
So I think it's a really underrepresented group of people who need support and need help.

00:04:47.918 --> 00:04:52.451
So that's why I really wanted to focus on women in midlife.

00:04:52.451 --> 00:04:57.288
There's a lot of health issues that come up now, especially with a drop in estrogen.

00:04:57.288 --> 00:05:09.404
We have to focus on bone health and heart health and just our weight, and so like a lot of things get affected and there's a lot of confusion around exactly how to eat now.

00:05:09.925 --> 00:05:11.151
Yeah, that's so true.

00:05:11.151 --> 00:05:18.935
There's a lot of confusion, no matter what age you are, but even more so, like you said, when you're in midlife, the midlife age, because things change.

00:05:18.935 --> 00:05:22.975
What worked in the past may not work anymore, and I like that.

00:05:22.975 --> 00:05:24.511
You touched on the dieting.

00:05:24.511 --> 00:05:26.096
There's this diet mentality.

00:05:26.096 --> 00:05:31.091
How do you think this diet mentality has been shaped by societal norms?

00:05:31.473 --> 00:05:44.874
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, so they are in the business of maybe getting you to lose weight, buying their supplements, buying their powder shakes and all of that, and they don't care about you gaining the weight back right.

00:05:44.874 --> 00:05:51.612
These are unattainable ways of eating most of the time and everyone can lose weight.

00:05:51.612 --> 00:05:59.752
Everyone can buckle down right and like, do like the 30 days of like, but sustain that is almost impossible sometimes.

00:05:59.752 --> 00:06:04.620
So I think the diet industry has just ruined all of us.

00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.932
So I'm really anti-diet.

00:06:06.932 --> 00:06:22.966
I am a fan of healthy eating and healthy eating consistently, but to go on like some prescriptive diet and when I say diet I mean what's out there like the paleo diet and like just other like diets that just don't in the long run make sense.

00:06:23.547 --> 00:06:23.767
Right.

00:06:23.767 --> 00:06:28.038
We want them to be sustainable, something that you can actually be on lifelong.

00:06:28.038 --> 00:06:29.908
That's a way of eating a lifestyle.

00:06:29.928 --> 00:06:31.593
Exactly, it shouldn't be dieting.

00:06:31.593 --> 00:06:34.968
Yeah, no, healthy eating is something we do for the rest of our lives.

00:06:34.968 --> 00:06:36.834
It's not something we do for 30 days.

00:06:36.834 --> 00:06:39.970
Yeah, not a quick fix Exactly.

00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:41.754
We don't want rebound weight gain.

00:06:41.754 --> 00:06:43.517
We don't rebound health issues.

00:06:43.517 --> 00:06:45.773
You know you want healthy way of eating.

00:06:45.773 --> 00:06:51.035
Now, in what ways do you think your approach combats this diet mentality?

00:06:51.685 --> 00:06:58.112
My approach starts with the opinion, the strong opinion, that healthy eating is not that difficult.

00:06:58.112 --> 00:06:59.524
It's really not difficult.

00:06:59.524 --> 00:07:06.452
It's when we put it through the filter of social media and the internet, something gets like full of confusion.

00:07:06.452 --> 00:07:11.875
But healthy eating is not that difficult to really understand and master.

00:07:11.875 --> 00:07:20.954
And then it's also something because we are doing this for the rest of our lives, we have room for not being perfect with it.

00:07:20.954 --> 00:07:31.911
So if we go out and have a, we're at a wedding or something and we have some wedding cake or you know, there's room for for enjoying ourselves too, A lot of room for enjoying ourselves.

00:07:31.971 --> 00:07:32.874
Food should be enjoyed.

00:07:32.874 --> 00:07:33.896
I mean food should be.

00:07:33.896 --> 00:07:35.047
Food is a pleasure.

00:07:35.047 --> 00:07:38.755
Healthy eating doesn't have to feel like being on a diet.

00:07:38.755 --> 00:07:40.665
Healthy eating can taste really good.

00:07:40.665 --> 00:07:52.752
That's the culinary part of me that I want your healthy food to taste fantastic, and so we play around with a lot of spices and herbs and just ways to make your food taste good.

00:07:52.752 --> 00:08:01.666
So you want to keep coming back from where you look forward to eating this way, rather than thinking that you are on another diet that you have to struggle through.

00:08:02.028 --> 00:08:02.870
I love that you do that.

00:08:02.870 --> 00:08:14.519
You introduce those spices and herbs to bring labor to the foods and a lot of people when they first start eating differently, eating more healthy, they see it as a diet because it's so different from how they ate before.

00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:16.367
I know with clients that I have.

00:08:16.367 --> 00:08:27.704
When they start eating more healthy foods and incorporate more vegetables in their nutrition and start cooking their food, at first they say, oh, I felt like I was dieting because I'm not eating burgers and fries anymore.

00:08:27.704 --> 00:08:33.957
But they're eating healthy and they begin to enjoy it and see the benefits of it on their health.

00:08:34.845 --> 00:08:45.813
Yeah, I mean, my goal is to have people look forward to eating things like kale, you know, and because I think there's such a misconception, people think like, oh, I have to eat more green vegetables.

00:08:45.813 --> 00:08:51.096
She's telling me I have to eat dark, leafy greens, and I don't know how to even cook it.

00:08:51.096 --> 00:08:52.946
I don't know what do I do with a head of kale.

00:08:52.946 --> 00:09:01.235
And then we think, well, the only thing I know how to you know, maybe I put it in the microwave or I steam it or boil it, and how boring is that.

00:09:01.235 --> 00:09:13.327
So I want people to know how to cook things like simple foods like that, so they taste really delicious and then you look forward to eating them.

00:09:13.327 --> 00:09:15.592
You look forward to when it's sitting on your plate.

00:09:15.592 --> 00:09:17.606
You're like, oh good, I get to eat that.

00:09:17.606 --> 00:09:20.937
Yeah, other than then, I have to eat that.

00:09:21.298 --> 00:09:34.557
Yeah, that is indeed a nutrition myth that healthy food has to be boring, and along those lines, from your experience, heather, what other nutrition myths do you find yourself debunking most often, and why do you think it's become so pervasive?

00:09:35.184 --> 00:09:38.232
Number one right the myth that healthy food equals boring.

00:09:38.232 --> 00:09:53.288
Healthy food means I do it temporarily or it's something, then I get to cheat and I get to eat my bad foods, that we put these foods into good and bad categories, and that's just not true.

00:09:53.288 --> 00:09:54.671
Healthy food is food.

00:09:54.671 --> 00:09:57.136
I mean healthy food is real food.

00:09:57.136 --> 00:10:07.957
It's not some kind of like mythical food that's like up here, you know, and like burgers and fries are real food and that healthy food is like some weird you know something over there.

00:10:07.957 --> 00:10:11.015
So that's something I want to definitely debunk.

00:10:11.015 --> 00:10:16.294
You know that healthy food is just eating food and that it's not complicated.

00:10:16.504 --> 00:10:23.195
I see a lot of women who they don't really know how to cook and so therefore, they just don't do a lot of it.

00:10:23.195 --> 00:10:32.335
You know they do a lot of takeout instead, and so I think that's the biggest nutrition myth is that you know that the healthy cooking is difficult and complicated.

00:10:32.335 --> 00:10:39.186
The next one is healthy food takes a long time to prepare and that it's just going to suck all the time out of your day.

00:10:39.186 --> 00:10:42.375
I don't want to be in my kitchen and I love to cook.

00:10:42.375 --> 00:10:44.870
I don't want to be in my kitchen for six hours a day cooking.

00:10:44.870 --> 00:10:46.514
I want it streamlined.

00:10:46.514 --> 00:10:48.067
And I'm a busy woman too, right.

00:10:48.067 --> 00:10:57.735
I have a career and I have my kids and everything, and I want it to be streamlined and that's definitely possible, that it does not have to be a struggle.

00:10:57.735 --> 00:10:59.139
It can be a pleasure, even.

00:10:59.644 --> 00:11:03.312
Yeah, and I want to go into that because you mentioned with the cooking lessons.

00:11:03.312 --> 00:11:05.576
Some say that cooking is therapeutic.

00:11:05.576 --> 00:11:07.278
I know for me it definitely is.

00:11:07.278 --> 00:11:15.390
From your experience as a healthy eating cooking instructor, can you share how the act of cooking can actually contribute to mental wellbeing?

00:11:15.792 --> 00:11:16.493
Definitely.

00:11:16.493 --> 00:11:19.768
I mean, I love to cook, so maybe I'm a little more biased.

00:11:19.768 --> 00:11:32.394
But the reason I do love to cook and I think, or one of the reasons, is that I find it to be the more that you get comfortable with cooking in your kitchen, the more meditative it can feel.

00:11:32.394 --> 00:11:36.344
You're just simply sitting chopping carrots.

00:11:36.344 --> 00:11:37.407
You have to pay attention.

00:11:37.407 --> 00:11:39.332
You have to get very mindful in the kitchen.

00:11:39.332 --> 00:11:41.025
Right, you have a sharp knife in your hand.

00:11:41.025 --> 00:11:45.816
You can't have 20 things on your mind and making a really nice pot of soup.

00:11:45.816 --> 00:12:05.009
You have to pay attention to the oven, the heat, the knife, the sharpness, and so I think it forces you to just slow down, breathe and pay attention, if you can get into that mindset that healthy cooking is something that can be relaxing.

00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:09.736
You're stirring a pot of soup, you're just slowing down.

00:12:10.317 --> 00:12:16.755
So I think that there are a lot of these hidden benefits to cooking that we don't realize.

00:12:16.755 --> 00:12:20.932
A lot of people think like I got to get this over with and, believe me, I've been there too.

00:12:20.932 --> 00:12:36.328
I mean it's not that I've never, that I'm always like all relaxed and happy in my kitchen all the time, but for the most part, I do really look forward to the opportunity to be able to just be in my kitchen for a little while and knowing that what I'm cooking is really good for me.

00:12:36.328 --> 00:12:38.091
It smells good, you know.

00:12:38.091 --> 00:12:39.772
It takes in like all your senses.

00:12:39.772 --> 00:12:47.977
You're seeing it, you're smelling it, you're tasting it, you're hearing it, and it can be really special to cook in your kitchen.

00:12:47.977 --> 00:12:49.178
You're making me hungry now.

00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:57.926
I'm imagining being in the kitchen smelling when I'm cooking you know.

00:12:57.946 --> 00:12:58.245
You're so right.

00:12:58.245 --> 00:12:59.529
Your senses are heightened, your taste is heightened.

00:12:59.529 --> 00:13:01.576
You got to taste what you're cooking to determine if you need more of a certain flavor.

00:13:01.576 --> 00:13:02.177
Need more pepper?

00:13:02.177 --> 00:13:02.919
Do you need more salt?

00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:03.441
Do you need more?

00:13:03.441 --> 00:13:10.586
You know, whatever it is you're using For me, I'm from a Caribbean background, so curry is something I'd love to use a lot.

00:13:10.586 --> 00:13:16.309
You know, do I need to use a little bit more curry, or what other spices do I need to add to it to really bring that flavor out?

00:13:16.890 --> 00:13:38.509
So, yeah, that's a really good point to just right to also slow down and figure out what does your food need?

00:13:38.509 --> 00:13:44.105
I mean many times you can cook the same pot of soup white bean and vegetable soup 100 times and on the 99th time it's it to taste it and to play around.

00:13:44.105 --> 00:13:47.034
And food is playful, right, I mean food can be playful.

00:13:47.034 --> 00:13:49.011
We all make mistakes in the kitchen.

00:13:49.011 --> 00:13:56.629
I think a lot of women, at least that I see are afraid of making mistakes in the kitchen, feeling like they did something wrong.

00:13:56.629 --> 00:13:59.336
That it can become kind of emotional.

00:13:59.336 --> 00:14:02.774
And making mistakes in cooking is a part of cooking.

00:14:02.774 --> 00:14:04.952
I've done it many, many times.

00:14:04.952 --> 00:14:06.048
I've burnt things.

00:14:06.048 --> 00:14:12.749
You know that things I've made dozens of times and suddenly I'm like burning and like I, you know, and it's, it's okay, it's just part of the process.

00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:13.711
And it's true.

00:14:13.711 --> 00:14:16.668
I mean that's natural too, cause you don't want, especially if you're cooking for others.

00:14:16.668 --> 00:14:20.354
You want to make sure that what you're cooking is to their liking.

00:14:20.354 --> 00:14:21.115
It tastes good.

00:14:21.115 --> 00:14:22.817
That can be understandable.

00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:23.860
Yes.

00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:28.297
So for a lot of women, I think there's a lot of pressure that they're not good enough.

00:14:28.297 --> 00:14:31.510
Their kids don't like their food, their husbands don't like their food.

00:14:31.510 --> 00:14:40.277
The people that they're cooking for are giving them a hard time, and that can be a barrier to wanting to cook more.

00:14:40.277 --> 00:14:47.129
So, again, just going back and learning some basic skills as to how to cook is important.

00:14:47.129 --> 00:14:51.239
It's something that I think everyone needs to know how to do.

00:14:51.905 --> 00:14:53.090
Indeed Now.

00:14:53.090 --> 00:14:56.240
Earlier we touched on like eating in a way that's sustainable.

00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:05.551
So how do you integrate that concept of longevity into your nutrition and cooking lessons, and exactly what does eating for a long, healthy life look like on a plate?

00:15:05.971 --> 00:15:11.852
I want to simplify this a lot, right, I don't want it to be where you're having to count and track.

00:15:11.852 --> 00:15:33.327
I mean, if you like to count and track, that's fine, you know, that's great, and sometimes I like information, I like to know things, but I think, for the most part for busy women, right, you know we're busy enough having to like deal with, like cooking, so do we need to then start tracking every fat gram and everything?

00:15:33.327 --> 00:15:39.736
If you want to, that's fine, but otherwise I really like the concept of just using balance on my plate.

00:15:39.736 --> 00:15:52.008
I want to look at my plate of food and know that this is, like, exactly in proportions that are healthy for me, and this is nothing that I really invented.

00:15:52.008 --> 00:15:55.855
I mean, you could go to, like Harvard's website and like, look at the Harvard healthy eating plate.

00:15:55.855 --> 00:16:20.716
You know where you like, where, like half of your plate is fruits and vegetables produce, right, we want to heavy up on plant-based foods, like that Quarter of our plate is lean, healthy proteins, a variety of plant-based and animal, and the other quarter of the plate would be a whole grain or starchy vegetable, and then we definitely want to be able to like drizzle some kind of healthy fats on there.

00:16:20.937 --> 00:16:26.716
I like to think of healthy fats in terms of like a dollop or dressing or drizzle, you know.

00:16:26.716 --> 00:16:38.259
So I would make something like a pesto or salad dressing or you know some kind of a sauce that's, you know, has good fats in it, but it's like highly flavored, you know.

00:16:38.259 --> 00:16:40.384
So little goes a long way and that.

00:16:40.384 --> 00:16:43.558
So that's how I like to look at my balanced plate.

00:16:43.558 --> 00:16:44.881
I'll look at my plate.

00:16:44.881 --> 00:16:46.787
Am I getting enough vegetables in there?

00:16:46.787 --> 00:16:48.456
Is there a variety of colors?

00:16:48.456 --> 00:16:50.941
Is there dark, leafy greens?

00:16:50.941 --> 00:16:52.943
Is there lean protein?

00:16:52.943 --> 00:16:56.490
Is there a whole grain of some sort?

00:16:56.490 --> 00:16:59.100
And then, am I drizzling some kind of a healthy fat?

00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:06.082
And so, if we want to just use visual, that's a really good way to, I think, set up your meals.

00:17:06.502 --> 00:17:09.528
Yeah, that doesn't seem complicated at all, heather.

00:17:12.199 --> 00:17:13.602
Yeah, and I think it's you know.

00:17:13.602 --> 00:17:25.308
Again, we can be counting proteins and macros and all of that if you want to, but I don't think that it's for most people it's necessary to do that.

00:17:25.308 --> 00:17:31.018
I think we just want to be able to look at our plates of food and just know, is there a lot of fruits and vegetables on that plate?

00:17:31.018 --> 00:17:32.681
Great, I mean, that's number one.

00:17:32.681 --> 00:17:33.442
Good to go.

00:17:34.203 --> 00:17:44.258
Yeah, for me personally, when I was in that diet mentality, diet culture, yeah, I would count macros and micros and it actually stressed me out and count my calories.

00:17:44.258 --> 00:17:51.703
It was very stressful to me to actually have to keep track of that and do it and be like, oh, I'm under or I'm over, what am I going to eat?

00:17:51.703 --> 00:17:58.422
I only have 300 more calories to go and I remember grabbing a bag of Cheetos because I hit my mark, because I'm calorie counting.

00:17:58.422 --> 00:18:02.722
Right, I got my calories in, but not the best choice of foods.

00:18:02.722 --> 00:18:14.147
But when you think about it more of the way you just described it, making sure you have those portions of the lean protein, the fruits and vegetables you know the fruits and vegetables, you know the healthy carbs on your plate is simplified.

00:18:18.234 --> 00:18:22.326
Don't worry about the calories, don't worry about the macros and micros, just make sure you're eating healthy, whole foods.

00:18:22.326 --> 00:18:23.449
Yeah, I mean, we want to be mindful of calories.

00:18:23.449 --> 00:18:28.104
You know we want to be mindful of all this stuff, but we don't have to be obsessive about it.

00:18:28.104 --> 00:18:35.587
I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a couple of days and even like tracking your food just to see what you're eating, if you need that evidence.

00:18:35.587 --> 00:18:43.568
But I think for the most part, once you know, then you can trust that this is a good, healthy way to eat.

00:18:44.155 --> 00:18:45.642
And that includes snacks too.

00:18:45.642 --> 00:18:49.445
So I'm talking about meals, but I'm also including snacks in there as well.

00:18:49.445 --> 00:18:55.359
There's just many versions of our meals, in a way, so we just want to make sure that those are balanced as well.

00:18:55.381 --> 00:18:56.545
There's sort of just many versions of our meals, in a way.

00:18:56.545 --> 00:18:57.809
So we just want to make sure that those are balanced as well.

00:18:57.809 --> 00:19:05.076
Yes, still talking about kitchen, I want to talk about this empowerment in the kitchen, because you emphasize the importance of empowerment in that space, in the kitchen.

00:19:05.076 --> 00:19:14.065
In your opinion, what's the most empowering dish or ingredient for someone that's just beginning their journey of culinary self-discovery?

00:19:14.105 --> 00:19:19.846
let's say, that's a big question because there's I mean there's so much to start cooking.

00:19:19.846 --> 00:19:30.018
But I think, as far as ingredients, having a well-stocked pantry guarantees that you are going to be able to go into your kitchen and cook a meal.

00:19:30.018 --> 00:19:39.069
I mean, I could walk into my kitchen right now without having gone to the grocery store and make a meal, because I have in my kitchen some olive oil.

00:19:39.069 --> 00:19:42.138
I have a variety of different oils, not a ton.

00:19:42.138 --> 00:19:47.557
We need olive oil and sesame oil, and maybe a neutral oil, a canola oil.

00:19:47.557 --> 00:20:00.689
We need three oils, we need a couple of vinegars, we need just a few of those condiments, salt and pepper, and then I have in my pantry cabinets, you know, like a can of diced tomatoes, some beans.

00:20:00.689 --> 00:20:07.535
I can go into my freezer even and grab some frozen vegetables, some shrimp, you know things.

00:20:07.596 --> 00:20:13.967
I could throw together a meal like pretty quickly without having to get too stressed about it.

00:20:13.967 --> 00:20:15.169
But that takes practice.

00:20:15.169 --> 00:20:20.135
I mean that takes, you know, knowing that you could like look at your pantry and get it all set up.

00:20:20.135 --> 00:20:33.080
So I'd say, I mean, as far as meals, I don't even know if I could answer that, you know, like I have like a fan favorite or like there's one thing to start off, because it really because food is so individual too.

00:20:33.080 --> 00:20:39.857
I mean we want to be cooking what we like to eat.

00:20:39.877 --> 00:20:45.536
right, we're not dieting right, I'm not telling you like here's the meal plan you need to follow, you know, and if you don't, then you're failing.

00:20:45.536 --> 00:20:47.196
I mean, it's what do you like to eat?

00:20:47.196 --> 00:20:55.723
So when I think you know, meal planning is very, very important to me and I think it's a really good skill to have for healthy eating.

00:20:55.723 --> 00:21:02.528
That way you know what you're eating for the week and the first question I ask people is what do you want to eat?

00:21:02.528 --> 00:21:04.410
What are you in the mood for eating that week?

00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:06.692
And then start with that.

00:21:06.692 --> 00:21:18.087
So I'd say, making sure that your pantry is set up with correct basic ingredients and then figuring out what you are in the mood to eat.

00:21:18.107 --> 00:21:20.576
Thank you, thank you for sharing that and I hope you guys are taking notes.

00:21:20.576 --> 00:21:32.963
I'll remind you to have your pen and paper ready, because those are some great tips and as far as what basics we can have in our pantry just to start for your meals.

00:21:32.963 --> 00:21:34.707
So thank you for sharing that, heather.

00:21:34.707 --> 00:21:49.545
Now I know with midlife we mentioned earlier things that we did in the past may no longer work for our health, and I know weight loss is a main concern or one of the concerns that many women have in the mid-age.

00:21:49.545 --> 00:21:56.136
Could you highlight one essential habit for weight loss and well-being that most people underestimate?

00:21:57.038 --> 00:22:00.465
We want to definitely thinking about our plate of food.

00:22:00.465 --> 00:22:07.955
We want to definitely heavy up on our vegetable mostly vegetables and some fruit right on half of our plate.

00:22:07.955 --> 00:22:10.299
I think people take it for granted.

00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:16.450
The benefits of having vegetables and fruits are so low in calories.

00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:18.502
We have to consider calories, right.

00:22:18.502 --> 00:22:18.816
I mean.

00:22:18.816 --> 00:22:24.067
I know that there's a lot of information on the internet like a calorie is not a calorie, don't consider it.

00:22:24.067 --> 00:22:24.448
But we do.

00:22:24.448 --> 00:22:27.075
We have to consider how much we take in, right.

00:22:27.336 --> 00:22:40.756
So when you eat vegetables, not only are they fantastic for you I mean, they are your vitamins, right, I mean, they are your vitamins and minerals and just so full of nutrition, but they're so low in calories too.

00:22:40.776 --> 00:22:42.961
I mean you get so much bang for your buck.

00:22:42.961 --> 00:23:03.919
They're filling, they're full of fiber, which fills you up with no calories, and so I think that's one thing to really start honing in on for weight loss is to emphasize that the amount of produce on your plate it should be half of your plate it fills you up in a really good way and they're so good for you.

00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:05.202
Yeah, that's a great tip.

00:23:05.202 --> 00:23:06.839
Yeah, I mean, that's my number one.

00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:15.549
That's almost not a secret, but I think it's a good rule of thumb to have when you're trying to lose weight.

00:23:15.549 --> 00:23:27.056
Now, and I cause, I know the older you get, the less calories you know your metabolism starts to dip a little bit and we need to be really mindful of how much we're eating and what we're eating.

00:23:27.056 --> 00:23:31.814
So when you emphasize things like vegetables, eat those freely, you know.

00:23:31.814 --> 00:23:37.625
Don't even worry about the amount or anything like eat as much as you like of those in a variety of them.

00:23:38.075 --> 00:23:38.916
Yeah, indeed.

00:23:38.916 --> 00:23:57.603
So I have one final question for you, heather, and I always like to ask my guests, no matter what the topic is about, cultural influences related to what they do, because in our society we're exposed to, especially when it comes to dieting or nutrition, we're exposed to different types of cultural diets and types of nutrition.

00:23:57.603 --> 00:24:08.858
Have you incorporated any international dietary practices or philosophies in your instruction that can help with cooking and making that part of their day-to-day lifestyle?

00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:12.525
Well, I definitely grew up both sides of my family.

00:24:12.525 --> 00:24:18.338
My mother's side was French and Norwegian, my dad's side is Jewish.

00:24:18.338 --> 00:24:26.480
So I grew up with a very diverse background of food, and there was a lot of emphasis on cooking.

00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:32.342
There was also a lot of emphasis on making sure you were sort of dieting and watching your weight, but know but.

00:24:32.342 --> 00:24:33.806
But that's a different thing, you know.

00:24:33.806 --> 00:24:40.362
For the most part, though, my both sides of these family love to cook and they came from very different, very different backgrounds.

00:24:40.461 --> 00:25:09.598
So I think what I took, especially from my dad's side of the family, my Jewish side of the family, it was that nurturing, warm, like food is love, you know, like feeling, you know I just have such nice memories of like my grandma making like matzo ball soup, like a warm chicken soup, you know, and like, and food was love, and so I think I definitely carry that into my cooking.

00:25:09.598 --> 00:25:18.625
I think food is meant to be nurturing and comforting, and food doesn't have to mean something like junky and like that's going to make you feel awful.

00:25:18.625 --> 00:25:19.086
You know.

00:25:19.086 --> 00:25:23.689
It can be really healthy and just that nourishment, really good nourishment.

00:25:23.689 --> 00:25:32.269
So that is something I like to infuse into my cooking, for sure, and I like to try to impart on my clients.

00:25:33.156 --> 00:25:43.022
I love that you brought that up Heather, cooking with love, because I've heard people say and maybe we feel that way too growing up, like my mom was always cooking, she always cooked.

00:25:43.022 --> 00:25:46.142
It's like when someone cooks with love, the food tastes better.

00:25:46.142 --> 00:25:47.064
Have you heard of that?

00:25:47.105 --> 00:25:47.424
before.

00:25:47.424 --> 00:26:02.750
Definitely I think that's what I was almost saying before is like you know when we have to get in the kitchen and be more mindful, and if we're in a rush, if we're rushing and we have 20 other things happening, you're not infusing your best energy into the food.

00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:08.387
And I don't know if you've ever felt that you know like, when you're like rushed and you're just making something, you're not really paying attention.

00:26:08.387 --> 00:26:11.986
I think it really reflects in your food.

00:26:11.986 --> 00:26:13.570
I think it really reflects in your food.

00:26:13.570 --> 00:26:19.442
So I think we always want to be just more like right, just take a breath, you know, and like, just settle into cooking and looking at this.

00:26:19.442 --> 00:26:21.527
Food is healing you.

00:26:21.527 --> 00:26:27.785
You know food as a healing modality is my philosophy, you know.

00:26:27.785 --> 00:26:28.566
Food is healing.

00:26:28.566 --> 00:26:30.635
Food is medicine, you know.

00:26:30.635 --> 00:26:39.276
So that's why, when I look at my plate of food, I'm like oh, this makes me feel good.

00:26:39.276 --> 00:26:41.681
I know that this is the healthiest I can be eating and it makes me feel really good and comforted.

00:26:42.542 --> 00:26:43.724
Yeah, I love that.

00:26:43.724 --> 00:26:45.228
Well, Heather, thank you.

00:26:45.228 --> 00:26:51.728
Thank you for sharing those insights with us today, and I hope this motivates more of us to cook from home.

00:26:51.728 --> 00:26:57.784
Try some new recipes, cook with love and infuse your love into what you make.

00:26:57.784 --> 00:26:59.942
Thanks for joining us today, Heather.

00:27:00.434 --> 00:27:01.840
Thank you so much for having me.

00:27:01.840 --> 00:27:02.603
I appreciate it.

00:27:04.175 --> 00:27:05.762
That's all I have for you today, friend.

00:27:05.762 --> 00:27:16.483
A huge thank you to Heather for joining us and shedding light on how we can transform our relationship with food into a source of joy and nourishment as we navigate the twists and turns of midlife.

00:27:16.483 --> 00:27:22.760
It's not every day that we get to uncover such transformative insights into mindful eating and the power of a well-thought pantry.

00:27:22.760 --> 00:27:29.300
Before we part ways, I want to remind you that cooking is not just about feeding your body, but also nurturing your soul.

00:27:29.300 --> 00:27:37.303
So I challenge you to embrace cooking as a therapeutic practice this week and see how it transforms your meals and your mindset.

00:27:37.924 --> 00:27:46.319
As always, we're eager to hear about your journey and successes, so don't forget to subscribe, share your stories and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:48.608
Your words of support matter more than you know.

00:27:48.608 --> 00:27:51.196
Thank you once again for being part of this journey.

00:27:51.196 --> 00:28:03.002
Coming up next week on the show we're diving into MTHFR gene mutations, you'll get to unravel the secrets to better health and more vitality, minus all the usual confusion about genetics.

00:28:03.002 --> 00:28:04.165
Talk to you next Friday.

00:28:04.165 --> 00:28:11.536
Until then, always remember to raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.