In the United States the USDA indicates that 13.8 million people are considered food insecure. Food security is a federal measure of a household’s ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life. In this episode we take a closer look at food security, and explore a dietitians role in helping you reach your health goals.
March is National Nutrition Month ® and is a chance to celebrate eating healthy. In episode #67, our VA Dietitians review tips for eating healthy on a budget. Specifically, whether you are buying groceries and cooking at home for yourself, including family members, or making the choice to enjoy food away from the home.
The body can do great things, but we need to give it time to do so. In fresh focus episode #66 we discuss exercise in relation to cardiac health. Dietitian Sieger provides signs to be mindful of when starting a physical activity routine, and strategies on how to include regular activity and exercise into our daily lives. Finding that individualized movement starting point is beneficial for our mind, body, and soul.
Excessive sodium intake is a concern for 9 out of 10 Americans. Having less sodium in your diet may help you lower or avoid high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Dietary changes have a huge impact when we are away from the home. Whether its dining out or at the grocery store, the decision of what to eat can quickly become overwhelming. Listen in Episode #65 as Ashley, Marion Dietetic Intern as she clears the air on how to make a heart healthy selection....
According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 4 heart failure patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge from the hospital, and approximately half within 6 months. It is suggested that around one-fourth of these readmissions may be preventable. For patients being treated for heart disease, poor diet and medication compliance are the most common reasons for readmission. In episode #64, the Home-based Cardiac Rehab Dietitian discusses ways to lower the chances for of going back into t...
In a realistic world, heart healthy eating will have a different starting point for everyone. It might mean making a few smaller changes or bigger substitutions. If you are in the process of working toward eating healthier to reach your goals then listen in to episode #63, where Marion VA Dietitians review ways to limit processed foods that can be high in sugar and salt. Your local VA Dietitian can help assist you in meal planning to meet your own individual needs. This episode provides strategi...
VA Dietitians want to help encourage Veterans, their family, and caretakers to maintain heart health. Keeping our hearts healthy is important and nutrition can play a big role. In episode #62, listen along as Kristine, VISN 15 MOVE Coordinator reviews her top three lifestyle changes that can help improve your heart health. Starting off with selecting a variety of high fiber colorful fruits and vegetables and focusing on having a balanced healthy plate. In addition to our meals, working towards b...
There is a crucial transitional time after being discharged from the hospital where making changes could prevent the need to go back into the hospital. As Dietitians, we understand how hard it can be to digest nutritional information when discharged home from the hospital. Sometimes, there’s so much information at once, making it hard to find a starting place once you are back at home. In episode #61, Registered Dietitian, Ryan Santanna-Hart, offers strategies such as starting with scheduling an...
Would you be interested in watching a cooking class demo while being able to be sit in your own kitchen and have the opportunity to cook along with the instructor? That is exactly what the VA Healthy Teaching Kitchen classes involve! Healthy Teaching Kitchens aim to improve health by teaching Veterans and their families how to make healthy food choices by showing them how to prepare foods. Participating in a class or seeing your local VA Dietitian can help assist you in planning healthy meals. C...
Listen in on this episode of Fresh Focus , where VA Dietitian, Dr. Joel Hamilton talks all about how to spice up your diet with using an ingredient that you already have on hand, a potato! Why potatoes? Potatoes are inexpensive and generally accessible. Learning several cooking tips using something simple as a potato can actually help build our confidence in the kitchen, and motivate us into trying our hand at all different kinds of recipes and unique items. They are also fairly neutral in taste...
March is a whole month dedicated to promote the profession of Nutrition Services as well as delivering nutrition education to the public. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) can help you improve your overall health and wellness. This year, for National Nutrition Month®, the team at Fresh Focus Podcast , welcome back Yaqutullah Ibraheem Muhammad, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist from the Atlanta VAHCS, Arcadia Primary Care Women’s Wellness Clinic to discuss tips on embracing cultural cui...
It’s common to see misinformation about nutrition. Science is complicated and scientific research can be difficult to critically evaluate. Especially for nutrition, many aspects of the wellness industry are unregulated such as supplements and supplement companies. With all the confusing nutrition information out there, how do we know which experts to trust or how to tell a credible source from a non-credible source? VA Dietitian Nutritionist Erin Gobeille in Fresh Focus episode #57 reminds us th...
Have you ever seen a VA Dietitian? If not, you might be wondering what to ask once you are in the office. From what’s the best way to lose weight, what to eat when away from our homes, to how much sodium is too much are daily conversations in our specialty. Bethany, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist from the Louis A Johnson VA , joins Fresh Focus on episode #56 where she answers the most common questions she gets asked by Veterans and their family members.
March is National Nutrition Month ® and is a chance to celebrate eating healthy. National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist day is also in March and is a chance to showcase dietitians as the food and nutrition experts. Each year we celebrate with a new theme and for 2022 the theme is “Celebrate a world of Flavors.” This means diversifying our food choices and being open to new flavors, cuisines and eating experiences. It is possible to take what we like from different global dietary patterns and...
We are back with the sixth and final episode of the Fresh Focus podcast ’s Myth Busters series. We’ve explored so many topics over the course of the past five episodes- from carbohydrates, to metabolism, to gluten, dairy, the scale, and protein in vegetarian diets. We are rounding out the series with a myth that is a big misconception when people come into the world of nutrition- and that is in order to be healthy, it is necessary to eat “perfectly” 100% of the time. You heard that right! The fa...
Gluten and dairy and grains, oh my! In this episode of the Fresh Focus podcast ’s Myth Busters series, our host Megan Rivenburg, MS, former dietetic intern at the Bay Pines VA talks all about the ever so prevalent myths about gluten, dairy, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets. Have you ever heard someone say they are cutting out gluten for health reasons? This episode talks all about whether or not it really is healthier to eat gluten free. The short answer? It’s not! It’s not necessary to cut out...
It seems like in the healthcare setting we always hear “losing weight is healthy” and “gaining weight is unhealthy.” It seems like there is this thought that the best predictor of if someone is healthy is their weight and what number shows up on the scale. But the thing is, there are so many factors that come into play when it comes to the number on the scale. So many different things can impact it and make it change week to week or even day to day- whether it be fluid status, whether or not you...
This episode is another episode in the Fresh Focus podcast’s Myth Busters series, where we are breaking down common nutrition myths and topics that seem to get spun by the media. This series’ hope is to give you an evidence-based place to go back to in between visits with your registered dietitian in order to get answers to your burning nutrition questions. In this episode we talk all about metabolism. We talk about how our bodies need food each day to fuel activities that you don’t even think a...
Throughout this six-episode Myth Busters series on the Fresh Focus podcast , we are choosing a different popular nutrition myth each episode to break down. There’s so much nutrition information (and misinformation) out there that we wanted to provide you this series so that you could have evidence-based answers to your burning nutrition questions in between visits with your registered dietitian. Listen along to this episode as Megan Rivenburg, MS, dietetic intern at the Bay Pines VA , sorts thro...
Nutrition advice is anywhere and everywhere these days. The information can be overwhelming to sift through. Here at the Fresh Focus podcast we thought it would be a great time to review some common nutrition myths. We will be going through several nutrition topics and diving in more to help all of you out there listening. In our Myth Busters series, we invited Abbie Spiwak, RDN, to chat about a common myth she hears in her Healthy Teaching Cooking class, and a few strategies to help combat it w...
Does searching for healthy food options feel like solving a puzzle to you? Ask a VA Dietitian! Our job is to help take the mystery out of good nutrition habits. Here at Fresh Focus, we want to make it as simple as possible for you to make the healthy choices you need to reach your nutrition and lifestyle goals. Concepts, ideas and recipes from any and all episodes can be modified and tailored to your individual needs. If you’re not sure where to start, take a listen to episodes 1-6 that will giv...
Does searching for healthy food options feel like solving a puzzle to you? Ask a VA Dietitian! Our job is to help take the mystery out of good nutrition habits. Here at Fresh Focus, we want to make it as simple as possible for you to make the healthy choices you need to reach your nutrition and lifestyle goals. Concepts, ideas and recipes from any and all episodes can be modified and tailored to your individual needs. If you’re not sure where to start, take a listen to episodes 1-6 that will giv...
Did you know American Veterans experience higher prevalence of pain and more severe pain than non-Veterans? The good news is that no matter where you are in your health journey: just starting out, managing several chronic conditions, or somewhere in-between by making these diet changes you can really make a difference! The team at Fresh Focus , is highlighting the benefits of eating and following the anti-inflammatory nutrition plan in episode #46 that includes: · Managing and preventing chronic...
Have you ever wondered what food has to do with inflammation? Listen in on Fresh Focus Dietitians with fellow Dietitian and Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner Nancy White to find out answers surrounding fighting inflammation with food. Chronic inflammation causes our body to stop functioning in a healthy way. This can lead to the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Chronic inflammation can also worsen pain levels and have a negative impact...
Did you know that the human body is absolutely meant to move and that Movement , activity, and exercise , can all relate and to pain management? Let Fresh Focus get you started by having a discussion on ways to improve your functional independence and freedom. One way to begin is to identify ways to overcome any of your barriers and for most of us that includes reducing pain. Exercise can be an effective treatment for chronic pain! Exercise and movement can help you to lose weight, which can low...
There are several lifestyle factors that can influence inflammation in our bodies and the great news is there is lot we can do to improve our health! Listen in on episode 43 of Fresh Focus while Registered Dietitians dive in on lifestyle factors that can affect inflammation. · Smoking --If you smoke we recommend quitting to reduce inflammation. This includes vaping as well. Contact your local VA for assistance with quitting smoking. Additionally try to reduce your exposure to second hand smoke. ...
Have you ever wondered if the food you are eating is causing you pain due to inflammation? If so, stick around and listen in on how nutrition and what we eat day to day can influence inflammation and could be causing an increase in your pain level. Inflammation is the body’s protective response against injury, infection, stress, or foreign substances. In episode 42 of Fresh Focus , Megan goes through some of the food items that could be causing an increase in inflammation. Food items that cause ...
Have you ever thought that what is on your plate could make a difference in your level of pain? Healthy food choices can improve your overall health, help with weight management, give you more energy and even help reduce pain. The Fresh Focus team thought it was a perfect time to start discussions on the pain and nutrition connection in episode 41 as they interview a VA nurse who is very involved in facilitating a Pain Workshop. Understanding pain response is important. Successful pain managemen...
When thinking of summer cooking, usually the first thing we all think of is the grill . However, remember that just because we use this king of summertime cooking every year, this doesn’t mean we always have to use it the same way. For example, it isn’t only for burgers and hot dogs! When cooking on a grill, the first thing you need to be aware of is the use of direct or indirect heat. Direct heat is basically putting your food right on top of the heat source (which is typically more towards the...
Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we can get excited about summer recipes! In general, when the weather gets warm, we tend to eat lighter foods unlike the heavy, hearty meals that we consume during the winter months. This means we get to use all of those good veggies from the garden, seasonal fruit, and lighter protein options. Here are some recipes that use garden (or any) vegetables: · Zucchini or summer squash boats: Slice these in half lengthwise, hollow out the inside, removing t...
